The Lost Lord Ch. 21

Note: Note: This is a re-upload due to some of the text being cut off. There is no sex in this chapter, so watch out people. Also, to the people bagging me to get an editor, this is a hobby. And because it's a hobby, I have no interest in pulling out all the stops to making a "masterpiece". When it comes to the stories I make with individual chapters, I won't bother with getting an editor, it's just extra time added on and I'm too lazy for that.

I'm working on a separate story (unrelated to TLL), for fun mind you, which will be a single parter, and because it is a single parter, I'll look for an editor for it.

*

Realism, that word has no place in a battlefield belonging to demons.

Demons come in many shapes and sizes, thus the demon race in general have become accustomed to fighting against the numerous tricks and tactics that demons come up with. Some demons fly, some burrow, some take two meter long steps in their stride, and some demons can take down walls with their fists.

While those demons exist, there exist methods to deal with those types of demons, methods that are being put into place in this very battlefield.

Dawn arrived, and with dawn, came a furious assault of an army of immense proportions. Though that immensity is nothing compared to the full force of the seven circles together.

Two separate battlefields were taking place: one on the ground and walls and one in the sky. And as this is the Land of Lust, which contain the largest number of winged demons (even without the Harpies), the sky battle was larger than most.

Soldiers of the fifth, seventh, eighth, and tenth districts were engaging the guard of the capitol city along with Lust's own set of soldiers (an army dedicated to the Lord of Lust only). Still, the district soldiers outnumbered the defenders by about two to one, yet the zealous fanaticism of the defenders far outmatched the morale of the district soldiers.

On the ground, the mercenary forces, along with a small set of soldiers from each district, was making their way across the ground to attack the walls. Already there were some demons attacking the defenders on the walls, some of which flew in and the others taking advantage of the ordinary siege implements.

Like one would expect in a classic medieval type siege, there were ladders, a battering ram, several siege towers, ballista, catapults, and even some trebuchet on the attacking side. And on the defending side was an arrangement of numerous catapults and various siege weaponry designed for whittling down enemy forces. The defenders also used strong magical ammunition in place of normal missiles and shells.

In terms of weaponry, both sides were completely equal, though the manpower that was required to operate the machinery was one sided in Arazra's favor. Still, sieging the capitol of Lust required a large amount of troops, which Arazra had. And if Arazra wanted to win this battle without too much trouble, he had to be decisive and quick about it, or reinforcements from the other districts loyal to the pretender may arrive and attack him.

Many famous names were taking part in this battle, if either side wished to take victory, then even the powerful leaders must take part. On Arazra's side were Arazra himself, Sasilith, Hezazias, Ornias, Zazie, Renning, Xizaen, and the mysterious leader of Huracan who had yet to show up. Those were the most powerful figures from his army, though there were numerous leaders of several smaller mercenary groups that had been hired.

And on the Lord of Lust's side, there were: Teras, Little Rouge, Sitri, Aureal, Nerissa, Dezeil, Caetorum, and Asmodea or the Lord of Lust if they left the palace. Those were the most powerful figures that were taking part in the battle currently on the Lord of Lust's side. There was also the Luce the Djinn and the Pride demon, Reginald, though they were not considered official leaders of Lust's forces. Yet those two, who are both powerful in their own right, on the Lord of Lust's side, tips the favor to the defender's side if ever so slightly.

If Roal and his subordinates failed, then the Lord of Lust's side could not hope to expect any help from reinforcements, not even Sitri's sixth district. The last time she had contact with her district was before she attended the meeting.

Currently, on both sides, only a few of the powerful figures were taking part, with the others reserving their strength for special moments. Aureal was taking part in the battle in the sky along with Nerissa. While Teras, Dezeil, and Luce fought on the walls, with Sitri and Reginald (who fought alone) cleaning up any who got past the walls with the reserve troops. On the attacking side were Sasilith in the air and Renning, Ornias, and Xizaen sieging the walls.

Let's see what happens...

-

"Azazel, are you really content with watching?" Asked a calm and serious voice.

"No, no I am not." Earnestly replied the one named Azazel.

"..."

"I don't want that girl to die, which is infinitely possible in this battle. Her strange power, the ability to wield angelic light and demonic dark is unprecedented. It would be irresponsible for me to let her perish. Yet it would also be irresponsible of me to take a side in a political conflict... Just what do I do?" Azazel seemed truly stressed, even for the leader of the fallen angels.

"Permission to speak freely?" Requested Azazel's aide.

"Mhm, of course, Garret. I'm not some dictator like that Uriel." Lamented Azazel.

"Well, to be frank... As of this moment, I think you're a coward." Deadpanned the aide, Garret.

Azazel frowned, though he stayed silent.

"What is the point of keeping our people together if we don't do anything?" Garret tilted his head as he said something else, "Of course I'm not saying recklessly charge into combat, but we should be open to the possibility that we should side with Aureal's defense."

Azazel stood up from where he was seated, which was on top of one of a ledge on one of the shorter mountains surround Lust's capitol. He turned to Garret and laughed before saying, "Mhm, I agree. Very well, I've decided that we will take part only if Aureal faces death. We cannot afford to let her die." Azazel took a look at the demons fighting in the sky before adding, "Though I'm not sure if she will have any trouble with this Sasilith, though we should be careful."

Azazel turned around and motioned for his group to sit back and relax, until he gave the go ahead. While Azazel's force only numbered five, all of them were strong warriors in their own right, and all would make sure that the legendary fallen angel of the dark and light survive, or die trying.

-

"Why?" Asked a certain young witch named Lauren.

"...?" Wondered a certain violet succubus with a fondness for jewelry named Zazie.

"You clearly didn't want to do this to me, so why? It's a simple question." Asked Lauren again, though this time with more force in her words.

Lauren was chained to an iron circle embedded in the ground. She had expected herself to be stripped and toyed with, like most prisoners of war usually are. Though unexpectedly, Lauren was given warm clothes, a decent meal, and even a bath, though she was constantly watched by Zazie every step of the way.

"...[Strength]. It seems you won't give up with your questions, there are too many of them nowadays. I do not desire to answer them all." Said Zazie without any remorse as she picked up a card and read its meaning.

Lauren snorted, "Hmph, then I'll ask again until you answer, why did you capture me if you clearly didn't want to?"

"...The [World], this card just isn't the same as the real one. Patience, young witch. I'll tell you this, if I see a suitable time to release you and retrieve the true [World], then I'll gladly do so."

"The true [World]? Just what in the..." Lauren trailed off as she searched her memory for any possible references to the [World]. Only one came to mind. "The [World], it stands for wholeness, success, and prosperity. It forges the road for us to shed the old in order to acclimate to the new. That [World]?"

Zazie raised an eyebrow at the surprising intelligence of the girl, "...It seems you know of these." Said Zazie as she spread her cards in the air, causing them to float in mid air.

The major arcana, mainly used for vague fortune telling, very few know of its true power. Lauren had utilized both the major and minor arcana several times before, though it was mainly for dabbling in her random interests at the time and perusing the numerous forms of witchcraft. Still, Lauren was very surprised at seeing a deck of tarot cards like those in the hands of a succubus.

Zazie then asked a question, "...Would you like to know your fate?"

It was Lauren's turn to raise an eyebrow, somewhat baffled at the question put to her. "My fate?"

"...I once gave the Lord of Lust's fate to him, and not the old one."

"Eh? You told Rainer of his fate?" Lauren was genuinely surprised.

"...These cards are not meant for telling you about what happens, it tells you the meaning of future events, so that you may interpret and accommodate yourself as you adjust. So that you may better be prepared in the case of a more serious divination." Zazie shuffled her cards, "...Now I ask you again, do you desire to know your fate?"

Lauren thought it over, and considering she had nothing better to do, why not humor the strange succubus. "Okay then, do it."

"...Your past, [Death]. You were stuck in one phase, until a change occurred, a change of an era that brought about a new way of life. The present, the [Hanged Man]. Your life changes once again and you're forced to look at things with new wisdom and viewpoints. The future, the [Empress] in reverse. You're unsatisfied with how things have turned out, you will want to unravel past mysteries." Zazie's words were not normal. It was as if she spoke in another voice, though it was still the same Zazie.

Lauren mulled the succubus' words over. Once her mother disappeared, Lauren truly did have a change in how she lived, though not necessarily for the better. Nowadays, Lauren had another change in her lifestyle, with her new adventure with Rainer and her new demonic and angelic friends, Lauren knew she needed to think differently than normal in order to survive, especially now. As for the future... Lauren could only assume this unexplained mystery had something to do with her mother. Zazie was more accurate than Lauren expected.

Changing the topic, Lauren investigated, "If you're helping Arazra, why are you here and not out there, fighting?"

Zazie blinked, her expression held a perfect blankness which should be reserved for card games. "...I'm not trusted, and for good measure. I was ordered to watch over you, Arazra seems to think that the Lord of Lust brought you in as some sort of trump card. He seems to believe you hold a power that may be potentially deadly. Do you?"

"Heh, the 'moon'. I may deceive your question with my answer." Laughed Lauren.

Zazie smiled and nodded, "...I agree." Zazie shuffled her cards and pulled one more from them, "...The [Devil], that suits you, Arazra. As well as all of us."

-

Pure chaos, those two words are the only ones that could be used to describe this scene. Volleys of arrows and magical missiles flew through the air, some finding a target and some failing to. Various war cries, screams, and taunts were being shouted across the battlefield as foes clashed with each other. There were thousands of demons engaging in a brutal frenzy of blood and gore, each with the devotion to their commanders and their resolve to fight till death.

All of the citizens living in the city were hiding in their barred homes, which were occasionally broken through so as to provide defenders with a height advantage with their attacks. The majority of the city's citizens took shelter from the combat in caves with strong barriers to protect them. It was well known that the demons who wanted nothing to do with battle took shelter in those caves, well known to the fact that any attacking force wouldn't even bother with the barriers, only post simple guards instead of breaking through them.

After all, why would the people who wished to take control of the city kill and plunder the very ones they would soon be ruling?

Still, the enemy had yet to penetrate very far into the city, though it was only a matter of time now. On the walls, the attacking soldiers outnumbered the defenders who were now retreating except for a fanatical few. And some of these fanatical few included Teras, Dezeil, and Luce.

Luce, who had summoned two creatures to fight by his side, was making short work of the generic soldiers who attacked him with his extendable scepter. Whenever he encountered an enemy who decided to fight with a pole weapon, all Luce did was stab his scepter in the air, causing it to extend, so that the head of the weapon slammed into the enemy. One time, Luce swept at the legs of a soldier, causing him to fall, while also striking the soldier in the face with the scepter, leaving a bloody mess. Many of the enemies Luce fought were of Black Steps; he even recognized some of them. And a good majority of them recognized Luce and were bewildered as to why they were now fighting one of their leaders. Yet they knew they were no match for Luce in a simple one on one fight, though the flow of battle didn't let them think too long or they lost their life.

Teras was slaughtering every enemy soldier who went near her with great joy, utilizing each of the natural elemental magic. Of her magic, Teras had mastered each of the four natural elements, though it was common sense that she would have a strong point and a weak point. It went as follows: Air, fire, water, and then earth magic. Still, that didn't stop Teras from using a slew of earth magic spells. Also, because this was such a hectic fight involving many weapons, Teras had out her cane sword that she took from her umbrella handle. She didn't like to fight with her sword normally like Caetorum, normally infusing her sword with magic and attacking then. One such example included Teras freezing a cone of water that enveloped her sword giving an extended reach, causing a sharp icicle to form that pierced the armor and body of an unlucky mercenary. The only emotion Teras could feel was glee, she loved causing pain.

Dezeil, the loyal head of the city guard was noticeably weaker than the Pillar of Lust, or he would have considered making an attempt to join that group. Though that didn't mean he was weak in the slightest, and his aptitude in combat proved it. Wielding a simple long sword and shield, Dezeil unleashed his martial prowess to the max, swiftly slaying his enemies alongside his fellow guardsmen and women.

These powerful three paved their way in the coming onslaught of attacking soldiers, and the only ones who could stop them were enemies of equal regard, and in this case, the mercenary leaders Renning and Xizaen, as well as the eighth district leader Ornias.

Some of these foes purposely aimed their paths towards particular enemies, while one just randomly happened upon his equal foe.

"Ahahaha! So weak!" Roared Ornias, the dogmatic leader of the eighth district. He was fighting with a sword of solidified darkness. Ornias loved to fight with weapons, though he found ordinary ones too weak for his style of combat. He soon mastered a type of dark magic that allowed him to fight with objects of solidified darkness. On a side note, there is magic like this though with light, it is frequently utilized by angels as a popular magic type.

He slashed through the neck of one incubus who attacked Ornias half heartedly, attacking only out of fear. It was natural for the normal soldiers to be afraid of the strong foes that existed, though if they hoped to win, those foes must die. And in the thick of battle, it was either do or die and many common soldiers attacked without thought. Ornias realized this every time he fought in a battle, and he relished it. It was fun to kill the small fry soldiers, as he preferred easy fights to tougher ones, though that didn't mean he wouldn't fight a tough battle every now and then.

He reformed his dark weapon into a mace and smashed it down on a helmeted incubus who was facing a mercenary soldier, destroying the skull. The trouble with this sort of magic was that Ornias couldn't instantly reform his weapon. It took several seconds for the solidified darkness to form. So unless he had some seconds to himself between each enemy, he was forced with the weapon he had, no matter how advantageous or disadvantageous the dark weapon was.

Still, that didn't stop Ornias from reforming his darkness every now and then. Ornias also distributed a steady supply of energy towards a thing covering of dark armor that covered every inch of his body except for his eyes. The darkness that covered his body allowed a decent (but not absolute) armoring as well as his full range of motion that armored opponents didn't have.

Ornias formed a dark sword again and stabbed it into the gut of a succubus before finishing her off with a slash down her left shoulder. "SERIOUSLY! You're all so WEAK!"

Ornias slew several more soldiers that came before him and some that didn't. Just for shits and giggles, Ornias even formed a rather large hammer, which he proceeded to bat off a dazed demon off the ledge and into the swarming attackers who had yet to scale the walls. "No strong ones today, huh? Then I'll have some more fun slaugherin'!" Declared Ornias as he cut downwards on an incoming incubus who rushed at him with his shield raised.

Assuming this newcomer was just another generic defender, Ornias simply cut down, not expecting anything big. Though his attack was welcomed with it being blocked by the incubus' sword, while at the same time the incubus' shield bashed into Ornias' stomach.

The dark armor absorbed the impact of the shield bash, though it still pushed a little air out of Ornias' lungs.

This guy has some measure of backbone to him! Fuck, it's so tedious fighting these guys, takes too long.

Those words coursed through Ornias' mind, though he still resolved to slay his attacker. The attacking demon stabbed his sword into Ornias' chest, though it was narrowly deflected by the district leader's arm as he blocked the sword on the side of the blade. Pushing the demon's defense to the side, Ornias sliced across the demon's lower body, though the demon jumped and the cut nicked the demon's lower legs.

The demon, as he went up into the air, kicked Ornias' shoulder, pushing him backwards. The two demons now stood two meters a part, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"Heh, al-RIGHT! I'm getting pumped up now." Ornias truly was interested in fighting now.

-

(So this is the eighth district leader? I have never seen him fight before, yet now I fight against him, fuck...) Said Dezeil to himself through clenched teeth.

Dezeil, the leader of the city guard, was currently fighting a losing battle against eighth district leader, Ornias. Dezeil did not call himself weak, but he also didn't call himself overly strong. If anything, the only way Dezeil could win against Ornias was with outside help or by pure luck, and Dezeil was anything but lucky.

Still, he would do everything in his power to stop Ornias from slaughtering his subordinates.

Dezeil hit his shield with his sword, enticing Ornias to take the initiative. It would be best to not get too confident and go on the offensive, or else Dezeil would find himself losing his life a lot sooner than he would if he was defensive. Ornias formed a dark naginata, stabbing it forward once the process was completed.

Dezeil stopped the stab with his shield, only to find Ornias rushing in with his free hand out, ready to grab onto Dezeil's body. Which succeeded, as Ornias grabbed onto Dezeil's shoulder, pushing him to the ground. Ornias twisted the naginata in the air before cutting the air with the blade and slashing it down on Dezeil's dazed body.