Balthazar stood upon the broken statue of Capitol City's founding mayor. Around him, minor demons listened and cheered as he shouted on and on about destroying the heavens and punishing those that interfere. His voice was deep, booming and above all, menacing. It was obviously being helped along by some dark, magical means.

Gerard strolled down an empty street. He ran over to a car and hopped on the hood and then jumped up to the roof of the car and stared down the street. Anywhere his eyes looked there were signs for murder, arson, vandalism, and of course supernatural battles. Gerard was trying to take note of anything that would tell him if this place was still dangerous, but sadly his sense were as sharp as warriors and scouts were. He sighed at his lack of personal survival skills, but it wasn't like he had no way of searching areas.
Even as his own sense failed him there were mental whispers from reliable sources that would let him no if some place was safe or dangerous.
"Hey kiddo," came a voice so rough it almost felt like his ears were being rubbed by sandpaper. Doors began to open from what appeared to be run down and abandoned buildings. "Why don't you get out of these dangerous streets before the monsters come back?" Soft laughter filled the air, but there was still caution with the volume due to the fact that everyone knew there could actually be monsters around.
"Thanks, mister," responded Gerard. Though Gerard was over 120 years old due to the magic bond with his companions and their vitality seeping into his body through the link of the contract he ended up aging very slowly and so he only appeared to be at most 17 years old. As the people were getting slowly closer and surrounding him Gerard heard some more whispers and it took a some effort to hold back a smile. "But are you guys afraid of the monsters?"
That was when some people started taking out enchanted weapons trying to show off, while the stronger individuals displayed a small fraction of their powers they had. The powers weren't particularly impressive due to the low level of cultivating them. They didn't strive to improve themselves, in fact they probably had no idea how to improve their skills or even use them in innovating ways
"No worries, kiddo," the sandpaper voice said again as electricity crackled between his hands. "We can take on any monster that a comes around these parts. Why don't come inside with us so we can talk a little more in private." The others snickered and it was then that Gerard looked around and only noticed one female out of the group of about 20 men. And she looked horrible and her eyes seemed empty. As if on cue the young woman's eyes met Gerard's and she felt tears building up as she turned away in shame and wiped them away.
"That's great to hear, I feel safer already, because there is a monster in this area and i think it's already here." The face of most of these gang members turned extremely serious as cold sweat broke out and most of their bodies. Gerard watched as bodies tensed up and grips were tightened on their weapons. Even the facade of the talkative broke down slightly.
"What do you mean it is already here, brat?"though the word was spoken without thought he caught his tone and made it sound lighter and friendlier. It was then that Music filled the air. It was an enchanting melody created by a string instrument but what followed was a captivating female voice. Not even 5 words had been sung when everyone's eyes turned blank as their bodies seemed to have not control. Yet the voice continue for another minute.
"My my my, such weak minded and willed humans," a beautiful pale skinned woman with dark green dress that seemed to shimmer with unnatural light stepped out from around the building at the corner of the block. Raven black hair covered her face and as well as her fangs. "I didn't think I would have been noticed by this shrimp but it seems it must have been some fluke seeing as how he is just as weak as these others. Oh well. It is time for a small snack before I report my findings. She approached the guy with electricity still crackly over his skin from time to time and with a quick motion she sunk her teeth into his neck. It was then that a shadow appeared and covered a the area where the gang and the demon was. He reflexes saved her as she jumped back towards the middle of the street as a Large body came crashing down with huge axe in it's hand. As it stood back up the demon woman saw the figure was standing 18 feet tall. It's hooves dug into the ground as it's muscles continue to reflexively flex.
Most of the gang members were crushed into pulp from the size and the sheer impact of the beast in front of her. The horns on it's head had to be at least 7 feet long as it they curved slightly hear and there. It was a demon, no, the woman realized that the horns didn't give off demonic energy. 'Minatour' the recognition filled her eyes as she stepped back. The woman was not a close combat type. She used her music to enthrall weak minded and weak willed people to offer as food and sacrifices. And the size of the horns proved that this was no ordinary Minatour. It was a Lord class beast at least. Which means it had experience, intelligence and wisdom. The trick now was how to get out of here with her life. Minotaurs were extremely territorial. It is why demons, angels, and the humans of the shadow world were glad that they stayed in underground Labyrinths.
"That's no good," a voice came from behind the woman and she was startled she turned quickly to find the young man on top of the car looking at her, no not at her through her, looking at the minotaur. " You missed the target," he looked quite down.
"Sorry, Gerard" the thundering voice of the Minotaur said. The beast's intelligence was higher than she thought. The minatour showed slight remorse which was unheard of for such magical beasts that were known for killing and slaughtering without a second thought.
"No worries," the young boy spoke so casually to this beast Lord, "Go ahead and try again" and with a sudden chill down her spine she turned as the minotaur's gaze fell on her as he approached with quake-like steps.

Nearing the end of his speech, Balthazar's voice had changed from menacing to maniacal, from disturbing to out right terrifying. The crowd of demons roared with deafening conviction, howling up at the dark sky. "And now! Go forth and feast! Swarm the city! Rip apart anyone that stands in your path!"

With those final words, thousands of demons, large and small, spread out in all directions. They marched in large groups. In their path, only destruction remained, abandoned cars sent flying across the streets, buildings demolished partially or entirely. The screams of innocent humans played like the darkest of orchestras. Explosions going off in such a way, they almost served to keep time, as a metronome would.

As the last of his army had left the square where he delivered his speech, Balthazar calmed down and made his assent into the sky. His dark laughter could be heard echoing across all of downtown and even faintly throughout the city. No longer in a physical form, Balthazar watched his army from above, spreading out as an unnatural cloud of darkness.

Gretchen Vradiskii Ufain
Back alley slums, Capitol City

---

A relatively nice day, even for a place like the slums.

Gretchen swept the paved stone path to the shrine, humming cheerfully. There wasn't much she could do to reduce the squalor of the backalleys, but at least her shrine and home looked presentable and clean. It still looked rundown however, and there was nothing she could do about that until she raised enough money to renovate the whole place.

She was vaguely aware of screamings in the distance, but being where she was, she paid it no mind — it was that sort of place after all — until a few people scrabbled frantically up the path to her, chased by what seemed to be a large four legged demon.

"A SHRINE? HERE?" A deep voice boomed from the demon as it moved forwards, liking its chops. "NO MATTER, I WI-"

"Tch.."

Almost immediately, the demon burst into flames, disintegrating into dust as it did so. Seemed like one of those unintelligent lower demons, to step into hallowed ground without expecting some sort of defenses. More dust for her to sweep away, on top of those people trailing blood all over her path and garden. Who did they think would have to clean up all of this? Certainly not that dumb pile of ash.

Sighing, she went inside to change into her ceremonial outfit, as well as to get everything she needed for a mass extermination. The shrine itself would be fine, as it was protected by layers upon layers of charms and spells, as well as the divine wrath of the god enshrined within, but these people might trample all over her garden if more came to seek shelter. Honestly, they could have flocked to her more often, and not just during times when they needed her.

Now in the traditional white and red ceremonial clothing, she prayed at the shrine once, before going out, assuring the people there that they would be protected as long as they were in shrine grounds, and not so subtly hinting that praying and donating at the shrine might help.

Her pristine white and red outfit standing in stark contrast to the filth and squalor around her, she made her way towards the downtown areas, following her instincts, and the howlings.

Zaphiel
Port, Capitol City

---

With Rome being along the Tiber, it was the natural choice to use the Capitols port as the Church's main staging ground. Already, they had begun fortifying several blocks worth of defensive lines around it. A General Staff of humans and a small cadre of angels were setting up a Headquarters to allow her to monitor the city. No Demons had reached them yet, but already vanguard units sent deeper into the city encountered some small class scum. Imps and the like -nothing a well trained human couldn't handle- but just a sample of what was to come.

With her forces preparing and evacuating refugees, she took a look up toward the sky from her Battleship. A trickle of Angels were descending down to make battle with the various demons moving about the city. She wondered if this was a vanguard, or if Heaven's General, Achilles, had decided to wait before moving. Zaphiel had a feeling she would find out soon enough. The evil cloud Balthazar had transformed into was causing them to go around it and land, stalling their progress significantly. Worrying.

The Capitols heart, the downtown, was first to fall. It was only natural, Zaphiel supposed. As Demons they wouldn't need to bother with the outskirts, and they would have the ability to spread their slaughter across the city in every direction. The flood of refugees exiting the city as quickly as possible was getting larger every possible moment. But with this limited human infrastructure, most of them would certainly die to the demons fanning out in every direction.

It was unfortunate, but she'd have to prioritize saving what lives she could over pushing the city center.

For now, anyway.

Somewhere bordering the Slums and Downtown...

---

"DESTROY-KILL THESE RIDICULOUS THINGS ALREADY. DO YOU WANT TO BE TURNED INTO TONIGHT'S SLOP, YOU USELESS MAGGOTS?" A captain in the demonic forces assaulting Capitol City was shouting over the madness that was Cordial Avenue. Blood, smoke and the thick smell of sulfur filled the air. Through the flashes of action visible in the chaos, any passerbys would probably think they had lost their mind watching the scene before them.

A band of warrior demons stood on an island of cars in the middle of the street, fighting an enemy that surrounded them from every direction. None of them were uninjured.

And all of them were fighting nothing.

Or, at first it seemed like they were fighting nothing. After all, there's no way that the teeming mass in front of them could possibly be real. Their eyes had to be playing tricks on them. There's no way the demons were actually fighting a sea of living, seeing eggs. Eggs that walked, and charged forwards with eyes filled with the hatred of a thousand years.

"YAARGH-" A demon's vicious warcry is cut short as he collapses, blood pouring from every hole on his body, bruises manifesting on every inch of exposed skin as his internal organs are eviscerated by fel sorcery.

"SCREW ALL OF THIS. WHAT THE <HELL> IS GOING ON IN THIS CITY!" Screaming in futile anger at the cruelty of god, the demons mount a massive counterattack, cutting their way through as many Bad Eggs as they could reach. But with each egg slain, the pain they felt all over their bodies increased.

It was a simple spell. A weak, sympathetic curse inscribed into each egg that shared a minuscule amount of the damage dealt to them with whoever inflicted it. Against the demons, who were far more powerful than them, the effects were hardly noticeable from killing one egg. But killing hundreds... cut by cut, the demons were weakening, being overcome by the tide of minions that seemed to have arisen from the very ground itself.

But the eggs, in their incredible weakness, could not last forever. Numerous as they were, their numbers were being culled at an incredible rate, and by the time a fourth of the demons had collapsed, more than eighty percent of the attacking Bad Eggs were dead. It was no great loss. The eggs' master knew a local farmer, and purchased the eggs in bulk whenever she got a chance. The eggs lost in this battle alone could be replenished in one or two nights time, easily.

"REND AND TEAR! WATCH YOUR FOOTING, BOYS. THE DEATHS OF OUR ENEMIES TURNS THE EARTH TO BLOOD AND YOLK. THEY INTEND TO TRAP US HERE, SO WE CANNOT SLAY THE INNOCENTS THEY PROTECT." Watching their feet as they advance, the demonic forces wade through the sea of eggy death, blades and claws flashing as they begin cleaning up the last of the surviving minions. It was at this point that they hear a voice from above, and realize the depth of their folly.

"My my, you've sure made a mess of my dear, cute minions..." A musing, womanly voice rings across the street, drowning out all other sound through its sheer incongruity amidst the chaos of war. "WHAT-" starts the demon noble, slowly looking upwards to where the voice was originating from.

"I just have one question for you, demons" - visible now against the blue sky, wreathed in the fumes of war rising up from below, was a figure perched atop a broom. She looks down on the demons, her disgusted expression clearly regarding them as worms crawling in the earth beneath her feet.

"Where do you think you're looking?"

It's only logical that they didn't notice until now. With the innumerable light sources, and the smoke from the many fires, the objects they saw now floating above them left no noticeable shadows. They only could have seen them if they had removed their eyes from the enemies on the ground, a mistake that would have probably cost them their life. Not that it would have made any difference, considering their life was about to be at an end anyways.

The effects of the fairy dust generated from Faera Luna runs out, and the two story complex of flats that had been levitated using its power begin to fall, directly towards the demon's heads. They couldn't escape, encircled as they were by the witch's legion of familiars.

"DAMN YOU, WITCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-" Their dying curse was cut short as 70 tons of brick and concrete crushed them effortlessly against the sidewalk, destroying half of the remaining Bad Eggs in the process. Dust and debris fills the air, but thankfully the fall had been short enough that the destruction was more or less contained to the roadway.

Silence. Battle raged on along Cordial Avenue no longer, leaving a strange emptyness in the air, punctuated only by the distant sounds of further battle in some distant, connecting side street. The civilians stood by in awe and wonder, not exactly sure if they should be celebrating or cowering in fear of this new individual.

She circles down on her broom, surveying the carnage. "So many young eggs... what a waste. Ah well, lets see if we can do some good, I suppose!" She approaches the civilians, hovering a few feet from the ground. "Afternoon's greetings, people of Capitol City. As you can see, it seems there's a demon invasion of some sort going on. If you don't want to die, I'd suggest following this avenue westbound until Oak Street and heading into house number four-six-five-five. There's a safehouse there, that you might find refuge in until we can find a way for you to get out of the city."

The shell-shocked civilians just nod quietly and group up, meekly heading in the direction indicated by the strange young witch who had saved them. They were followed from a short distance by a few Bad Eggs, who would ensure their safe passage even if it killed them. That was their fate, after all.

Meanwhile, Margaret (for that was who it was) turns back to the devastation of the roadway she had just destroyed. "Hmm, maybe two stories was a bit much. It's not my fault though, it was hard enough to find a household in this part of the city that wasn't inhabited by one sort of refugees or another."

"Hm?" Perking up, Margaret turns over to a Bad Egg staring at her from a nearby rooftop. Flying over, she places her hand on its head, receiving its thoughts as a message.

A young girl in red and white? Wielding a strange power? Interesting...

After thanking it for its message, the Great Witch makes her way by air over to where she knew the young egg had been posted. Thanks to the swiftness of air travel in this dense, urban environment, it was no time before she caught up with the subject of her search. She composes herself, before calling out below.

"Why hello there, young maid. Your fair skin is a welcome escape from those silly little things setting fire to the city. What brings you to these troubled parts, if I might ask? Speak your noble purpose, and perhaps I may be of some assistance..."

NOBLE PURPOSE. Unable to contain her amusement at the circumstances, Margaret raises her hand to her mouth and begins to cackle madly, staring at the blue sky above as if in challenge. But what was she challenging? Only she could understand the meaning behind her laughter, so to all else present, it would seem like nothing more than madness.

And, she thinks to herself as she begins to settle down, perhaps it was madness. She didn't know for sure.

But that was fine.

"Perfect", Balthazar mused to himself while watching the world below crumble. The sight was a dream come true, the way street after street went up in a blaze, the way body parts littered the sidewalks. Yes, his army was doing just fine, at least, for the most part.

Over in the direction of the slums, Balthazar noticed a most peculiar sight, little eggs somehow causing one of his platoons quite a bit of damage. It was quite humorous to be honest. He actually began silently rooting for the little buggers. If he had a face to speak of at the time, surely it would have had the largest of grins. That is, until an old hag of a witch showed up...

Sure, to the naked eye, she hid well behind the magical guise of youth, but the smell of her soul gave her away. It's putrid stench spoke of many hundreds of years, at the least. "Keeping a soul contained within a mortal body for that long cannot be good." Balthazar joked to himself, "It would be much more useful in my collection."

His thoughts were interrupted as he began to take notice of the massive influx of angels beginning to come down and all around. To make matters more interesting, he could feel the distinct aura of a very powerful divine angel in the distance, lurking on the edge of the city.

"The true battle is about to begin." A fresh wave of excitement began to consume Balthazar. This was nothing like the "show" he had been putting on for his demon army earlier. No, this was genuine. As he reveled in this emotion, an interesting side effect started to emerge. A strange fog began to descend from the massive cloud that served as his body. This fog was a deep gray, comparable to the worst city smog imaginable. The air was becoming increasingly treacherous to inhale for those without demon blood, burning at the lungs.

But for the demon army, this fog had quite the opposite effect. Their blood lust seemed to be rising along with their strength and durability. Demons thought to be dead began to crawl out from beneath massive piles of rubble, their limbs snapping into place, their cuts disappearing at an alarming rate.

Phase two of Balthazar's plans were already underway...

Gretchen Vradiskii Ufain
Back alley slums -> Downtown, Capitol City

---

"Why hello there, young maid."

Not too long after Gretchen went to look for the source of the demons, what seemed to be... a witch, judging from the magic she could sense in them, accosted her.

"Your fair skin is a welcome escape from those silly little things setting fire to the city. What brings you to these troubled parts, if I might ask? Speak your noble purpose, and perhaps I may be of some assistance..."

She started cackling all of a sudden, causing Gretchen to bristle in annoyance. Was she here to laugh at her? Fight her? Was she the cause of the demon outbreak, and she was just here to gloat at her?

Gretchen turned towards the flying witch, her left hand touching the sword by her side gently.

"You. I don't suppose you..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a fel fog descended upon the area, permeating the air with the foul stench of demonic magic. However, the fog swirled around her, as if unwilling to even go near her, leaving a bubble of demon free air. Gretchen looked visibly displeased by now, as she took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. The fog would have affected the witch as well, thus scratching her off the list of suspect.

"Ahh! This is annoying!"

Taking out several paper talismans, she placed them in four corners of her current area, before activating the barrier. All of a sudden, a small section of the street they were in cleared of any fog, clearing up visibility. Fog roiled against an invisible wall, unable to permeate the sanctified, if admittedly kinda small space.

"You. I assume you're here because of the demons as well?"

Capitol City
Outskirts

He had arrived in secret, alone and ahead of the others. While other Angels arrived in various groups, Achilles introduced himself to the battlefield, charging single handily into the outskirts of the demonic invasion, slaying various imps with a simple swing of his heavenly sword. Whether madness drove them forward or fear, Achilles did not know but time and time again he struck down imps with incredible speed and accuracy yet no matter how many he slay he could feel demonic presences all around him. Leaping into the sky, the Arch Angel urged his wings to propel him forward towards a nearby skyscraper to get a better vantage point.

Upon reaching his destination Achilles could only watch all around him the true extent of the chaos that erupted all throughout the city. It was only when his fiery eyes comprehend the vastness of the demon invasion did Achilles take note of the the laughter of a demon which seemingly echoed for miles in all directions. From his view, Achilles reflected on the miserable sight and his eyes raged with fury. This war wasn't supposed to be waged so openly and as the sounds of the demons radiated from the streets below, the Arch Angel took this moment to silently admit that he possibly may be responsible for all of this. "If only I..." Oh how the word "If" resonated in his thoughts so frequently. Stretching his white wings out from behind him, the armored Angel gazed into the sky above through his armored helm knowing full well who orchestrated the madness. The Angel's silent frustration boiled over as the concrete he stood cracked under the Angel's power. "Not this city. Not today" Achilles announced to himself though it seemed more of an open declaration to the sky above.

Yet before any moves were made the dark fog that emitted from the sky began to make its way downwards. Upon first contact Achilles grimaced slightly, he felt eyes tingle with a slight burning sensation and it became evident that prolonged exposure could end up being potentially fatal. Recognizing the severity of the situation, Achilles leaped outwards, flying towards the gathered defensive position of Angels and humans with great haste... it would take a concentrated effort to help repel the incoming hordes.

The giant axe crashed into the pavement. The demoness had lost her footing and miraculously dodge the axe and avoided certain death.

"Oh?" Gerard said softly, "You have quite a lot of luck, demon." Gerard lifted his hands and the minotaur stopped it's huge hands from grabbing the demon. "Tell me, what kind of demon are you exactly?" Gerard maybe have been gifted and worked hard to get where he is today. But regardless of that he always believed luck always plays a part as well. Despite preparing and making sure nothing goes wrong, there is always a chance that things will not go as it seemed.

The female demon felt she was on the verge of insanity having come so close to death two times in row. But she clung on to this young boy's voice as it sounded as if he had taken in interest her. There was hope that she might live. She realized she was dealing with a summoner which would mean she would probably become bound to him and enslaved to his will. Though the idea of being a human's slave had always disgusted her she thought of the alternative and thought that this guy might not be so bad as to treat her harshly. At least that is what she hoped.

Gerard watched the female demon's eyes darting left and right as she seemed deep in thought. While she was thinking he was checking her out. He thought it was quite unfair that demons and angels always seemed to have the perfect bodies, while humans had to work on keeping themselves fit. Gerard noticed that her eyes had rested on him so he casually looked up. He had nothing to be ashamed of. It's not like she didn't know what she looked like. Her expression seemed slightly softer and it looked as if she had calmed down. She opened her mouth to answer his question just as the fog fell over them.

"Zephyr," Gerard called and within seconds a whirlwind surrounded Gerard dispersing the foul air around him and supplying him with fresh air. Sadly the wind elemental named Zephyr only surrounded Gerard instinctively which caused the female demon to be enveloped by the mist. The gentle expression she had was replaced with one of violence and malice. Gerard let out a sigh. He was hoping to make her into a demon of sin. She met most of the requirements for the ritual to be a success. But sadly it seemed her will was not as strong as he was hoping.

The minotaur seemed to be suffering so Gerard called him back into his Grimoire. With nothing to show for his time and effort Gerard started walking down the street going nowhere in particular. He was considering calling out his Angel of Virtue: Chastity, to offer protection against the mist. He decided against it due to the fact it was unwise to show off too many of his Summons before any possible enemies. But to be on the safe side he called out his Demon of Sin: Gluttony. Nothing seemed to have chanced but if anyone had exceptional eyesight they would noticed Gerard's shadow seemed to ripple.

- - - - -

Gerard kept walking and sightseeing, or at least trying to, but the fog just didn't make it very easy for him. He found himself looking at a movie theater as he took note of the main movie's name. "DeadPool 13: Revenge of the Unicorns". Gerard wished he had gone to seen it before all this chaos happened. He let out another sigh, but quickly shrugged it off as he went into the theater. He suddenly had a strange craving for Reese's Pieces.

Somewhere bordering the Slums and Downtown...

---

Cordial Avenue sat utterly still as the hellish fog wave engulfed it, saturating the air with its dark power. For just this time, there was complete silence. And then, slowly but surely, the sound of ragged breathing from beneath the rubble.

A single demonic arm emerges from the mound of brick in the center of the street. And then more. Suddenly, the street was filled with demons who had been thought to be dead, their bodies contorting viciously before the eyes of anyone watching. Growling, and regarding their surroundings with red-hued looks of pure disgust, the demons begin to regroup.

"THAT THRICE DAMNED SHE-WITCH. I'LL GET HER BACK FOR THAT TRICK, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT. COME ON, GET OFF YOUR ASSES FAIRY BOYS. YOU'RE LUCKY THAT POMPOUS PIECE OF WORK UP TOP DECIDED TO SPARE YOU FROM A TRIP BACK HOME. NOW, WORK FOR YOUR MIRACLE, BEFORE I HAVE TO CHANGE HIS MIND FOR HIM."

The Demon Captain was just about to begin walking towards where he thought the witch might have went, when he stops, tilting his head to listen for a sound he had only just barely heard. The sound of rubble shifting. "HM?" He turns his head around, considering the band of demons standing about him in all directions.

Nobody seemed to be missing, so who else could be crawling out from the rubble?

Somehow, despite his empowered state, a feeling of unease sinks over the Captain. He steps away from the center of the group, watching the hell fog swirl across the wreckage of the building and features of the street.

*CRUNCH*

With a sickening noise, he steps on one of the many, scattered corpses of the Bad Eggs. Scowling with disgust, he shakes his foot to dislodge the shards of eggshell and thick, viscous innards of the dead familiar. In the corner of his vision, he spots a bit of debris being shifted, pushed up from below by something attempting to climb out.

Grinning wickedly, he was only just beginning to walk towards the movement when he's cut off by a deafening, demonic scream. "AAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHHHHH" One of his subordinates lets out a howl of terror and pain as they're knocked backwards into their fellows. All at once, the entire band of demons turns to the source of the noise. And they see it. A sight that would haunt them for the entirety of their impending journey back into the depths of hell.

It was an egg with legs.

It glared at them with eyes shrouded in red light, an avatar of pure hate made yolk. Cracks were visible across every surface inch of its body, and yet it stood. Unhindered. Unbroken. Unhinged, high on the terrible energies it absorbed through the cracks in its hard shell, and wanting nothing more than revenge on the one who had broken it.

It had no mouth, and yet they could hear the hoarse, rattling breathes it took using the spiderweb of cracks running across its face. All at once, the demons seemed to notice the breathing multiply and advance. Hundreds of Bad Eggs, thought destroyed during the prior battle, began to reform as they took in demonic energies from Balthazar's own magic and surrounded the demonic host. They were, after all, essentially demons themselves. It was only natural that the very magic that revived their enemies would revive them as well.

"AGAIN WITH THE EGGS. WHAT A JOKE." The demon captain, for what it's worth, managed to appear unfazed. He knew firsthand from fighting the eggs that they did not possess very much martial ability at all. They relied on a cheap curse to inflict harm, so he and his warriors had nothing to worry about. Now that they knew the weakness of their enemy, they could exploit it and avoid wearing themselves down the way they had last time. What's more, increased as their power may be, the Eggs certainly received more or less the same boost in power as the demons. In theory, the two boosts in strength and durability should cancel each other out.

There was nothing to worry about. That's what the demon convinced himself of, as he drew his sword from the nearby dirt and faced his men. "WHAT, ARE YOU GOING TO LET A BUNCH OF PRODUCE BEAT YOU A SECOND TIME? STAND YOUR GROUND. EVEN WORMS LIKE YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO MATCH A DOZEN OR TWO, BEFORE YOUR INSIDES START TO LEAK OUT YOUR ARSE."

And thus, after a cry of assent from his forces, the demon commander begins the arduous process of cleaning up the resurrected horde of Bad Eggs. The eggs, sensing a counterattack, scream silent cries of hatred from their bloodshot visual receptors as they charge inwards, dashing their heads against their enemies.

The demons' attentions were completely consumed by the enemies before them. It would only be if they succeeded and finally took a moment to observe their surroundings that they would notice there was something strange going on.

In this street that should have been empty besides them, they were being watched. From every rooftop, from every windowsill and doorway, watched on pairs of bloodshot, glowing eyes. Like pinprick sparks of the flames of hatred found only in the deepest depths of Hell, the eyes watched, silent, patiently awaiting their moment to strike.

And among those eyes, one pair was much larger than the others, and accompanied by the soft, barely distinguishable glow of a lit cigar. Puffs of cigar smoke snake upwards from this figure, obscuring it from view, but it was clearly many times larger than the others fighting in the streets below.

Its egg-like silhouette seems to heave, rumbling with unheard laughter.

And it waits.

---

Meanwhile, on a nearby street...

---

The initial wave of fog approached rapidly, cutting short the reply Margaret intended to field. Sighing to herself, the elder witch regards the oncoming storm of demonic magic with an almost comical ease. "Oh dear me, is that really how he plans on doing this?" With an exasperated look and a shrug at her shrine-maiden friend, the fog front reaches Margaret, obscuring her from view.

It wasn't long before the priest's sacred barrier cleared away the fog, revealing a most unusual sight in the place where Margaret should have been. To all conceivable senses, Margaret was gone, and in her place sat a rather conspicuous and fabulously proportioned cast-iron pot.

Just when any observers might have begun to register the existence of the pot, out pops the witch's head, her wide hat barely touching the edges of the pot's rim as she takes a look at her surroundings from with. "Ah, thank you for that young miss. I left my foghorn in my other satchel, so I was quite worried I might not be able to find my way around in that murk."

Foot by foot, as if climbing out using a ladder, Margaret emerges from within the pot and glances approvingly at the barrier she owed her openness to. "Solid foundation, that. Colour me satisfied. One of my students would have done it in two seconds or less, though."

And with that dismissive remark, the witch steps out from her pot and places her hands smugly on her hips. "Well, some demon he is, can't even summon a hell fog able to pierce this middle schooler's bargain bin barrier. Honestly, I'm not even quite sure this occasion was worth the travel here. Ah well, if I'm here I might as well do my part!" She turns to Gretchen, smiling affectionately despite having just met the girl.

"Hmm, I suppose you could say that. That means we're both headed for the same goal. That dank old cloud up yonder way. To get there, I reckon we'll have to clear out the downtown area and likely ascend one of the cities central towers. Real risky business, lots of demons to deal with. I couldn't call myself a teacher if I didn't accompany you there. Great heavens, you would have to engage with all sorts of undesirable folks along the way. Capitol City is no place for a pure little lady like yourself."

And so the party is formed. Whether Gretchen liked it or not.

Gretchen Vradiskii Ufain
Downtown, Capitol City

---

Her initial fighting spirit deflated by how cheerful the witch seemed to be, Gretchen sighed.

"Middle schooler, little lady, I have a name you know." She pulled out a wad of paper talismans stacked together, trying to see if she had brought enough. "Name's Gretchen Vradiskii Ufain. So the culprit is that ominous looking cloud in the middle of downtown huh? I got it, you can leave now. And I'm not a middle schooler! I'm already old enough to drink!"

She knew it was a futile gesture to even say that, seeing as the witch didn't seem intent on leaving her alone anytime soon, but at least she could say she tried. An event this large wouldn't go unnoticed; she wouldn't be surprised if some of those stuffy old organizations would suddenly come out of obscurity to fight off these demons and help seal them. Certainly seemed to have drawn a witch and a shrine maiden out.

Aiming carefully, she threw a two paper talismans into the fog, with nothing happening for a few seconds before the barrier activated, clearing another stretch of the road as she made her way deeper into downtown. It didn't matter if she had to purify every block of the city, she'd go up there and beat down whoever that was making this mess.

Balthazar only noticed the demon fog he himself had created AFTER his euphoric state of bliss had passed."Interesting" he spoke to himself while looking down at the city below. Mocking no one in particular, he apologized, "Pardon me, I didn't mean to cause such a scene." He then bellowed out three loud bursts of laughter. "HA HA HA!"

The dark lord was pleased as he surveyed the field. His minions were causing massive amounts of destruction all across the city. More angels were entering the fray. Some magical humans were putting in a valiant effort as well. And the battle against the eggs? Well that sure was a strange sight. His platoon squashed egg after egg, only for them to be revived by the fog as well and continue fighting. It was an endless cycle that was quite amusing, comical even. Once the novelty of it wore off though, he turned his sights elsewhere.

His next words were amplified through demonic magic, so that everyone in the city could here, but the message itself was clearly intended for the army of angels that was obviously planning their counter attack off in the distance. "Oh no. It seems I have accidentally crop dusted the entire city and made the air quite repulsive to the pristine noses of angels! Is that why you are so far away? I'm so embarrassed! Hahaha! Or is it... that you are afraid? HAHAHA! It could be both I suppose... I tell you what! I'll remove the fog if you will come and play! How does that sound!?"

True to his word, the fog began to recede away from the edges of the city. But of course, there was a catch; things are never that simple. Before half of the fog lifted into the sky, the other half of it poured directly into the nostrils of every demon in his army. (He of course made sure to pull the stuff out of the Bad Eggs as well, leaving them no more powerful than they were to start with.) This produced maddening results. His minor demons rampaged across the city with powers they had never before dreamed of having. The middle tier demons held on to their sanity, if only just, and set their eyes on more challenging prospects. The top tier demons reveled in their ever increasing powers, but they stayed waiting close to heart of Downtown, upon their master's telepathic orders.

Balthazar watched in great interest, wondering if he had been too aggressive in his actions. Would his newly empowered army destroy the opposition too early?

Above Downtown, the Capital City

Balthazar would soon get his answer.

Whereas the demons chattered and rampaged throughout the city's CBD, and humans and angels alike sought to try and grapple with the demonic hordes, a meteorite-like fireball fell from the heavens and away from Achilles' rendevous. At the center of the flickering flames, a pair of baleful eyes stared out at the destruction below them. They saw the destruction being wreaked on GOD's creation, the suffering being inflicted on the LORD's children, heard the foul laughter coming from the airborne lieutenant of Hell's army and the bearer of those eyes felt only one thing: hatred.

Just as the falling flare seemed to be less then a kilometer above the ground, the light cleared and the now-revealed angel adjusted her posture. White-feathered wings flared from a spine encased in polished metal armour and the angel let out a cry of wrath as - still falling just above the speed of sound - she slammed sabatons-first onto the pavement. Unknown to her, she had landed well in front of the two in-betweener travelers who, even now, were beginning to make their way deeper into the city.

Rising from the crater she had just punched into cracked and ruined cement, Aquilina unslung and readied a gleaming, double-edged glaive in a gauntleted hand. Her eyes and voice were focused on the distant (but e'er present) Balthazar and its minions.

"The fires of Hell will die out this day, fallen spawn of Hell!" she called out in challenge. "The Hammer of Demons comes for you!"

All the chaos surrounding them.
It's like a plague.
And it would only get worse from there.

A large pool of pure abyss, seemed to form from nothing. Pooling and festering, a foul smell resonating. Thermometers increased, and then he came. Death's right hand man. He was slowly birthed from the pool of death, and as the pool went away, he created his own under himself.

"Now this is nice and dandy. Big man from above came to say hello. Well the father from underneaths greets this new world with open arms."He notices the demons repelling the eggs and smirks, then outright smiles. Idiots.

A very thunderous slam came from the outskirts of the city. He looked to see what had happened, and saw an angel had slammed into the ground, and audibly laughed.

"Hey Balthazar, you see this? I never thought that old man would actually do anything like this. You've really done yourself quite a good place here." He began a stride to the outskirts of the city, it felt to holy there. Yet on further inspection everything felt too holy, but he kept his path, making his way there with the speed of a moped. He soon arrived to see an archangel fighting off hell's invaders.

"Oh not so fast smart one." He let out a festering, gurgling roar. The imps seemed to gain even more power than before, which they already had plenty. He charged at the archangel and let out multiple swings and slashes. He stopped. Something flared in his eyes, and his sword began to slash and smash with the fire of hell itself backing every swing. "Ha. Not so powerful now huh?"He got a good look at him, and said, "You know, I never liked angels. Always so 'knight in shining armor.'" The second he said this, he charged forth with his shield, waiting to hear the oh so satisfying sound of someone being impaled and then, the reassuring "bump" on the shield.

Zaphiel
Port, Capitol City

---

Zaphiel flapped her wings from her perch atop her Battleships upper control tower. The situation in the city was transforming from a mere skirmish to an actual battle by this point. Thankfully, they had been rather succesful during that phase of the battle. The majority of civilians near her perimeter(or the souls leftover, in many cases) had been evacuated to the relative safety of the port.

In theory, the situation was rather stable. By all accounts the Church had secured nearly a fourth of the city, the majority being along the river. While only around half that had been properly fortified and sanctified, it was good news. Had they been any slower, the situation would've probably become grim. The next phase of the Demon General's attack had begun, and the freshly arrived Heavenly Host was being mauled.

Balthazar's fog had enhanced the prowess of the various daemons attacking the city. Reports began to stream in from her scouts and vanguard of intense skirmishes with low rank daemons. By approximation, Zaphiel had guessed each had gone at the very least a step up from their previous rank. In other words, Imps were now more or less actual threats. Removing imps from an area would no longer be just systematic cleanup; it'd be a battle.

With their technique, skill, and equipment, her lighter vanguard had been routing the Imps fairly thoroughly. Now they were an actual threat, and their entire advanced had slowed or halted. If higher ranked daemons got involved, it'd be likely that forces beyond her perimeter of control would be pushed back. In other words, the skirmish phase of this battle had truly ended. Thankfully, however, her forces had been more or less ignored. She supposed it was natural. Almost everyone at the port was human, though retreating angels were increasingly falling back into her lines.

It was annoying. If the situation was any less dire, she'd shoo them off. But this was no time to allow distrust to get in the way of removing the Great Enemy. At the very least, she'd provide the Heavenly Host a place of safety. But it'd be up to them to secure a part of the city for themselves to base at. The attack from above had clearly scattered their forces, and they needed to rally and regroup.

One of her angelic attendants wordlessly floated near her, awaiting commands. Zaphiel decided to give her one.

"Direct our shock troops and special forces to the sewers, along with the necessary support. Tell them to sanctify the sewer water and advance to positions ahead of our frontlines and await the word. Tell them to not engage the enemy until then. Prepare the rest of our main forces for a lightning advance, and ensure our gun emplacements are ready. The vanguard must hold on its own for now." Her tone was neutral as ever, yet the lives of an entire army and all those still in the city remained in her hands.

If the forces of Heaven did not act now, there would be no chance at victory. The forces of Hell were over powering the Heavenly Host. While her army was potent, it was never one focused around the endless power of Angels or Demons. It was reliant on the strength of man, which was never found in brawn or even magickal potential.

If this situation was to be salvaged, they would have to decisively regain the initiative. That meant a counter attack at the exact right moment. The situation was grim, however. With the medium class daemons emerging to find worthy foes, it wouldn't be long before the vanguard was attacked. There was no doubt they'd be thrown back or wiped out, but they had to hold. This could not and would not become a siege. That would be to Hell's advantage, especially with the daemons boosted by the fog they absorbed.

So for now, they had to get the daemons off balance, even for a moment. Finally she left her perch, flying toward the airspace above Downtown. She kept her pace slow enough that any angels along the way could join with her. It was time to engage the enemy commander.

Zaphiel had her attendants fly off to notify Achilles and Aquilina of her intent with all due haste. They were the best suited to this task, after all.

Gretchen Vradiskii Ufain
Downtown, Capitol City

---

The path she took towards the center of downtown was a circular one, as she had been using her instincts and senses to move away from the bulk of the demon masses. Obviously, considering the center was where the demons were more numerous, her path started to veer away from actually heading inwards, and more towards a roundabout path, though she did not seem to show any signs of noticing through her concentration. She had stopped walking only two times, putting down four talismans in a square to make a stronger barrier every time as she looked around during those two stops.

With the fog lifted somewhat, Gretchen started to move faster, before something crashed in front of her, and she tumbled into the crater before she could even register what happened.

"Aaah! Its just one after another with these guys! Just wh-"

"The fires of Hell will die out this day, fallen spawn of Hell! The Hammer of Demons comes for you!"

Ugh, a musclebound idiot has appeared, she thought almost immediately. Taking on the minor demons popping here and there during the walk here had been so trivial with the sword that she barely even registered them, but if this angel started luring in stronger demons in bulk to their location... well, that was going to be trouble. Just when she thought she could have walked all the way towards the middle while the stronger demons ignored her too.

Gretchen sighed. "I guess this location would be as good as any."

She placed four talismans in a square around her feet, and a larger hexagon with six talisman that encompasses both the square and herself. Concentrating, she started to chant. To those watching her, it would seem as if she had drained of all presence, almost as if she was going to disappear at the slightest gust of wind. Her body was floating slightly, though she, in her deep concentration, did not notice it, nor would she believe anyone telling her she was floating. She would rebuke them with words like, "Humans don't just fly like that!"

But float she did, encircled by two geometric shapes as she chanted.

A giant demon, known as Death's right hand man had risen from the ground in spectacular fashion. "Hey Balthazar, you see this? I never thought that old man would actually do anything like this. You've really done yourself quite a good place here." The giant demon then strode off towards the city outskirts, directly toward the angel Aquilina. Finally some REAL action!

Balthazar's telepathic response was targeted at the giant demon, but he made no effort to hide the message from those nearby, "I'm glad you like what I've done with the place! HAHAHA!"

A shining light grew in the distance. The angel Zaphiel had finally left the comfort of her perch. Steadily, she was making a direct line towards Balthazar. Angels were gathering behind her as she approached. Balthazar's loud taunting voice rang throughout the skies. "Oh, I see you want to play, Zaphiel! But really? All of you against little ole' me? Hardly seems fair! HAHAHA!"

As Balthazar's laugh echoed across the city, winged demons began descending from the very cloud that was his body. One after another, they kept coming. Their faces were filled with malice and destruction. They were not empowered by some second hand fog, they had breathed in the very cloud of Balthazar. Soon, when the two forces met, the skies would rain down with the fiery blood of demons and the glorious blood of angels. Balthazar appetite grew in anticipation of this scene.

Down below, the carnage raged on.

It been some time since the loud proclamation had been heard. Apparently there was a lot happening near downtown, but Gerard was still not in any kind of hurry. He had poured the last hand full of reese's pieces from the box into his hand and frowned at the lack of candy remaining in the box. He tilted his head back as he dropped the handful into his open mouth. He glanced to his right as he watched Roh Val, the giant minotaur summons, doing something similar to popcorn machine as it poured it's contents into it's huge hand and then dropped it in his mouth.

Despite the thundering foot steps of the giant beast and the crunching of popcorn as well as the uncooked kernels being chewed by Roh Val, the sound of fighting could be heard in the distance. There were a few shadows that flew overhead, most didn't notice the odd pair walking down the street due to the fact they heads were filled with war and were only concerned about victory.

"It seems fighting is happening all over the place," Gerard was a bit torn as to which direction he should go so he decided to let someone else decide for him. "Crystal, Kreel, Roh Val," he said as he called three different names. Suddenly a heavenly body appeared behind Gerard. The woman had skin as smooth as jade and as white as snow. When her eyes opened they were of the color platinum. Her body was covered with holy scripture that almost gave one the impression of a mummy were it not for her angelic wings and the holy power that radiated off of her. At the same time Gerards shadow rippled and enlarged and stretched. Two purple orbs appeared as head started to rise out of the shadow like a swimmer surfacing from water. The head continued to rise as a body followed and was standing in front of Gerard. "Which way should we go?" As if it was a comedy sketch each one pointed in a different direction.

"Hmmm," a sigh escaped Gerard's lips. He then chuckled and decided to use an ancient divination spell to decide which would be the best way to proceed. "Eeny, meeny, miney, mo ...,"

Capitol City
Downtown

Achilles's blade flashed with fire as the Arch Angel steadily fought his way through a ruined city street. Every swing downed several combatants yet the hordes seemed endless. These demonic imps despite their lack of strength seemed immeasurable in number and were persistent enough to deny the Arch Angel to freely regroup with the majority of Heaven's forces. With a push of his wings Achilles shot outwards towards the sky only to be swarmed by several more winged demons. They snarled and claws at the armored warrior but their attempts to intimidate or wound the warrior of light failed as they hurled themselves at reckless abandon regardless of the inevitable consequence. Through his armored helm Achilles eye's were active, scanning for an opening... he could feel the other Angels on the move, looking to make a driving counter assault.

There was a sense of urgency in the air as if the upcoming battle would be determined in the upcoming moments. Pushing himself harder, Achilles continued to fight through the ruined city until at last he could eye Zaphiel leading the others to engage presumably the main host of the demonic hordes. Eager to join Achilles again attempted to take to the sky before several beings leaped forward, grasping his leg. Achilles scoffed at their attempts as he used his free armored hand to smash the beings off him but the temporary delay allowed the horde to swarm forward. As Achilles attempted to free himself, off in too his distance and in the distance an Angel was approaching "One of Zaphiel's?"

If it wasn't obvious before, it was crystal clear now. He was needed on the front lines... he hoped that he would not be too late.