''DEMONS! DEMONS AT THE GATES!'' Shouting could be heard throughout the most frontal barracks and walls just before Babel's Pass, the demonic legions had finally made their way all the way to the heart of angelic worship. The several thousand meter tall fog wall stood as terrifying in the distance as anyone could possibly imagine that it would do. Kasus' hold on the land had already begun, his terrifying pressence could be felt throughout Cloryn's Keep, even on the very tops of the Imperial Cathedral. ''May they come, bare flight and protect us from darkness.'' Spoke out a man of majestic appearence atop of the imperial cathedral spiring into the skies. ''Our faith in them shall grant them strenght and their initiall faith in us will fuel our faith in them...'' He continued, speaking out of a very old book, it's name was the 'Iron Biblicon' it looked ancient, incredibly ancient and it was seemingly out of pure iron, carving words and paragraphs into it.

The military activity was larger then ever and soldiers were running the streets with equipment and supplies filling their hands, however no citizen could be seen for miles, they had all been rallied into the imperial cathedrals strong walls and protective barriers, The greatest of the Imperial Crusaders protecting them to their fullest of capabilities. Priests tending to them and trying to calm people down, it was a sort of organized chaos, no civilian was without worry, but no priest was without faith in the angels. Ultimately, however: Cloryn's Keep's survival depended on if the angels would arrive or not, the only thing man could do is buy time untill that happens.

The demons, however marched slowly, it was still quite the distance away, but fear was clear, demons holding onto fires or even on fire themselves brightend the unending hordes and made them visible as simply more stepped out of the confines of the green fog. Demons of many sizes existed in this horde and some of the demons simply displayed fear into every single soldier which caught a glimps of their true gigantic nature. The frontal gates were reinforced to it's best abilities, trying to pull forwards the many catapults and the occational cannon of modern engineering. Chatter filled the entire city and most shops or inns were closed, the only thing which would be open are the refuges and the military docks and any military building, they'd be more active then ever, some would even let out prisoners to fight under the banner of mankind, they'd need anyone they could get, and luckily there were hundreds of transports inbound from neighboring cities and distant empires alike, however the time untill their arrival would be a terrifying one.

All the way into the skies, however, in the very tallest peaks of heaven were the Angelic High Council, all the Archangels were gathered by one of the Archangels anonymously and they would discuss the demonic horde and if they should deal with it or not, mankind would still survive, however they'd loose a great faith generating structure of the Imperial Cathedral, it's a curious discussion and it would surely undergo for quite the time, the structure of the Council itself is surrounded by military fortresses of the angelic's greatest capabilities, each fortress held the armies of one Archangel, Alzeius fortress, however was the Heavens itself, he is the one expanding heaven and creating the structures within it, he is therefor quite the architect, therefor buildings in heaven have a sort of living essence, they don't appear biological but the structure has a spirit of it's own, you could say.

Alzeius sat down in his golden throne representing the eagle of heaven, a guardian spirit which circulates the heavens, beside him sits Braxxus, a legendary beast whom serves only Alzeius for he is his creator. Before him were the 11 pedestals of the other archangels, the Council itself was located high above the tallest of clouds in heaven, reaching into oblivion which is where they originated from, there were many tall spires and towers of heaven, however the council was the tallest of them all, and it was forced to be, simply because of it's symbolic nature.

''Let the debate begin, brothers and sisters. Mankinds future rests on our decition...'' Spoke Alzeius, his voice was placeless, it originated from everywhere since he had no mouth to speak from. His three pairs of wings spreading far above the council's roofless ceiling and into oblivion itself. The Golden Eagle throne illuminated like the sun, light spreading and holding the essence of life within itself. However deep below, in the very center of evil lies hell and it's eternal pits of torment.

Kasus and his High Demon Lords discussed in a typical demonic manner, with violence and strenght as the main method, however their goal was clear, the utter destruction of Cloryn's Keep and anyone living within it, Kasus had sent out some of his greatest High Demon Lords and other Demon Lords to assist them in the conquest of this great location.

The future will be decided in the immediet future, what it will decide, however is up to fate.

It was midday, the sky a clear blue, but as the mass demon horde marched on, a hint of red swallowed the sky, dark clouds hovered above the demons, as if a storm was making it's way toward Cloryn's Keep, and in some ways, it was.

From the very depths of the thousand feet wall of fog a Raven with jet black feathers and piercing red eyes flew above the demons ablaze, and launched itself into the clear blue and red sky. The flames that engulfed The Raven began to dwindle as it flew over Cloryn's Keep. Below, the military scrambled to get into position, creating somewhat of a perimeter to defend the cathedrals filled with citizens. The Raven landed atop a balcony adjacent to the cathedral, it's head snapping left and right as it observed the situation at hand. Nearby, a group of soldiers were frantically in the process of setting up a barrier defending one of the cathedrals flanks. Around the corner, reinforcements make their way to the flank, ready to assist them in building the barrier and provide backup. The Raven launched itself from the balcony and flew forward, then began to circle the barrier from above, an amulet, worn around The Raven's neck, began to glow. As the reinforcements turned the corner, they stopped, in shock, as a group of demons surrounded by fire await them. At the same time the group of soldiers building the barrier immediately reach for their swords and shields as a group of demons turn the corner and face them.

The Raven circling above lets out a demonic cry as both groups of soldiers sprint towards each other and begin to tear one another apart, their swords plunging into one another. As each falls to the floor dead, an orb of white light rises from their chest, and makes it's way toward The Raven, entering it's amulet, it's soul banished to the realm of Quagmire. The soldiers slay each other one by one as their souls rise into the sky, until eventually, only one remains. He kneels on one knee, covered in blood among the bodies, but among them are no demons, and he realizes the blood covering his body is that of his brethren. He looks around frantically, and begins to panic before letting out a shriek of disgust and terror. The Raven slowly lands on the head of a dead soldier as the only survivor lifts a sword from the ground. "Forgive me, my holy guardians." He utters, as he plunges the sword into his abdomen. The Raven lets out another demonic cry as he falls to the side, his soul rising from his body and into the amulet.

Fire begins to engulf The Raven, spinning furiously, changing it's form into that of a tall, slim figure, with long jet black hair and piercing red eyes, wearing demonic robes and wielding a sharp, steel sword crafted from the depths of hell itself. The figure was Castiel, A High Demon Lord and embodiment of Mischief, Temptation, Illusion, and Sin. He stood tall with prowess, practically radiating evil, and began to observe the surrounding group of bodies nonchalantly, as if to pity them. He then slowly raised his arms, his amulet glowing once more as orbs of red light made their way from the amulet and into the deceased soldiers. As the orbs entered their bodies they were engulfed in flames, their skin turning bright red, their hands and feet transforming into claws and their bodies growing in various sizes and strength. They stood up, first observing each other, and then Castiel, obediently awaiting their orders.

Castiel began walking, and the demons followed. He was heading for the gates of Cloryn's Keep, where the massive horde of demons will be waiting.

In the Angelic Council, behind the very perpendicular Pedestal of Law stood Lexus Dominiel. Lexus Dominiel began in a voice that resounded with the sound of synchronized marching, of automated systems, of industrial machines following their cyclical commands, though already standing, he seemed to become taller, larger as he prepared to speak, "The question, my brothers, is what purpose does the law of non-intervention serve? All of you know that I am certainly for the upholding of laws, however, as this is a law we made for ourselves, we have the choice to either uphold it or change it. So what purpose does this law serve, and does it continue to serve this purpose?

I think that this law was created to allow humans the ability to grow and strengthen themselves. If we had intervened in the past, they would have remained weak. Sometimes, it is defeat, loss, and pain, that creates growth. Since we decided to not intervene, the humans have faced defeat, loss and pain. But have they grown? have they grown stronger? Or have they shrunk back against the demonic hordes, hoping, but not striving? Do they merely wait for us to step in and save them? Has the non-intervention created for us a usable ally? Or perhaps, they have not suffered enough. Perhaps this is the turning point. With Cloryn's Keep threatened, they may believe we would not allow it to fall. If it fell, perhaps they will finally decide to stop relying on us and stand on their own. However, to risk the fall of the Keep is to risk the diminishing of our own power. If the humans grow, the risk may be worth it. If, however, this becomes the last, crippling blow to them, then we will have lost both the humans and the Keep.

My analysis is that the risk is too great. Non-intervention has not produced the desired result. The humans cannot be left to their own devices. They must be...regimented, controlled...bred...farmed...cultivated...controlled, refined; preserving desirable elements and removing undesirables. This is not only intervention that I am proposing, but involvement, interference...rule. Their independence and liberty does nothing to help us. I realize this may come as a drastic proposition, but I am, as ever, completely honest with you my brothers, and I ask that you seriously consider the potential benefits."

Leonidas Strider sat upon his black and white steed, Rafeus, as he rode at a canter towards the West, inside the Keep of Cloryn, pressed with stress and effort. Behind him, two fellow mercenaries, or "unofficial helpers" followed. Their job was to liberate the West Gate, which had fallen to the demons, something that could not be allowed at any stretch. He rode through the deserted and slightly broken streets, with the wind brushing against his face and body, or at least his slightly drunk mind felt. His hair flew backwards, and he rode with only a single hand upon the reigns, the other being at the sheathed long sword at his belt, with the intent reason of drawing it out the best he could.

He noted that the Gate wasn't too far away, and even from here, he could see the fires of the hellish demons. At the very least, there were around ten bodies lying around.

Showtime. He barked his orders to the men, with enough firmness to make a skilled army instructor like him, "RAZEEL, TAKE THE RIGHT LANE, AND YOU, KAREN, TAKE THE LEFT LANE! FLANK THEM, WHILE I TAKE THE FRONT ON. GET YOUR DAMN BOWS READY." It was enough for them to split towards the right and left, following his orders, as he rode on forward, towards the Gate, which wasn't more than half a klick away from them.

He whipped the reigns on the horse prompting it to go faster, but it wouldn't. In fact, it was slowing down, slowly at first, but then it just stopped. It was chattering in terror, due to the fact that the demons terrified him. Or at least one of them did, who was much larger than the rest. He quickly dismounted, and let the poor horse run away, which it had obviously wanted to do since the siege began.

He unsheathed his long sword and short sword, and walked forwards. Razeel and Karen were both ready, which was something good. They'd begin as soon as he made contact.

"HEY THERE, ITS ME, MICKEY, MOTHERFUCKERS!" he yelled, dragging them towards him. It only took a few seconds for the 8 feet masses of plating and powerful muscles to start running for him. He sighed, and all the times he'd fought demons came to mind. Each time he had a personal victory, they would lose on the larger scale. Cloryn was different. It was far too important to lose. But now was definitely not the time for such thought. The first one he'd handle on his own, the second and third would get three flaming arrows in their necks.

As the first nine foot abomination came at him, the thought to pray to the Angel's occurred, but he knew they were pieces of shit that care not for humanity, so it meant nothing.

The grunting monster in front of him raised his giant clawed hand, a crude blade in the other. "Hell no motherfucker." Were his words.

Hasir awoke. The Legion marched once again, it seemed. Coming into being, he possessed his body on the mortal plane, and moving his arm, looked at Kasus. In a quiet, hissing voice, the Demon Lord of Wrath spoke. "So.... Kasus.... we destroy them, this time?" The leader of the Legion nodded, a twisted smile splitting his twisted face. Standing up, getting off his throne in the Commandorium room, Hasir called out, "Albus! Siyah! Awaken!" Two banshees who were curled up on the floor, Albus, the black one, and Siyah, the white one, stood up slowly, hissing. Hasir spoke. "We march upon the Keep, my daughters." The banshees grinned manically and shrieked, and grabbing onto Hasir, disappeared. Hasir stared at Kasus for a long while, then disappeared as well.

Reappearing at the head of the demonic Legion, Hasir, Albus, and Siyah raced towards the Gates. Leaping over his head, Albus and Siyah spun their deadly dance, fighting in unison, tearing into the mortals. Hasir, however, had no time to be distracted. Sprinting faster than ever through the mortal footmen, he turned the soldiers upon one another, making them slaughter each other, as well as the twins did to them. As he reached a gate to the city, Hasir lowered his shoulder and rammed through, knocking the metal gates off their hinges, and bending them into useless hunks of metal. Surveying the space behind the first wall, if he could smile, Hasir would've. So much hatred, coming from both sides of the battle line.... this should be fun. As the soldiers bore down upon him, he shrieked, making them clutch their ears in agony as invisible blades tore at them. Ahhh, mortals. So deliciously weak.

The terror was without a doubt growing even stronger inside the souls of men and warriors, but there were the occational soldier whom were both experienced and untouchable by the horrifying abilities of demons. They are known as crusaders, the legendary holy warriors of Cloryn's Keep, a small detachment of four Veteran Crusaders had been dispatched out into the yet rather untouched limits of the city.

''DEMON! FIGHT ME IF YOU DARE!'' Screams Tilacus, an Imperial Crusader from the Grand Empire. ''FACE ME!'' He roared, but of course: He was no normal soldier, no, he was an Anceiron. He'd faced many demons before and he made his way to castiel through slaughtering the demon hordes under Castiel's command, he was uncorruptable and was not affected like others would be by slaughtering his former allies.

The front gates were breached by the Lord of Wrath himself, however the moment he entered Babel's Pass the multiple lines of cannons opened their barrage, firing in a never-ending loop. ''Fire, fire, fire!'' shouted the General Cannon Observer as he called out the directions, coordinates and wind resistence and finally the barrage commenced, the Lord of Wrath was in the cross heads of every cannon and no demon could escape the barrage unless they somehow evolved wings.

All the way in the heavens however the arguing commenced endlessly. Archangel of Hope, Azaziel spoke out. ''I agree with my brother! Hope is present, we must spark their hopes with aid and assistance, we've sat down too long! Their hope is fading and my powers also, we must rekindle their sparks, because this is the final spark which these candles will shine without our assistance! We can no longer sit back and pass time in our glorious halls and let our s... Your sons and daughters die out! Alzeius!'' The grand Archangel sat quiet and remained grand in the council hall, he sat silent and simply beheld the council spit into flame and arguments, after an entire day of arguing he finally spoke. ''QUIET!'' He roared and even the heavens shook. ''I have come to my conclusion!'' He spoke whilst he rose out of his throne, towering above a human sized statue to his left. ''But before this you must all unite! If you are able... THEN RAiSE YOUR VOICE!''

"I shall, as ever, support your will, and the unanimous will of the council," Lexus Dominiel declared, looking around expectantly at the rest of the council, waiting for their replies. He had agreed to a decision that he did not yet know, yet that was his nature, authority was paramount. In fact, though he trusted the wisdom of his brothers and the necessity of legislation, the conflict and argumentation that often came from it, he felt, was inefficient. it was the limitations of individual perspective that created conflict, as no individual was omniscient, each individual had only their own truths, skewed by personal bias, which would inevitably disagree with the truths of others. In this way, Angels, Demons, and Humans were not so different. Lexus Dominiel often toyed with the idea of a Grand Unification; the uniting of all perspectives into a single universal consciousness that would see all truth and know no bias. Angel, Demon, and Human would be no more. There would only be...

GOD

Lexus Dominiel, of course, kept these thoughts to himself.

Castiel sighed at the sight of Tilacus slaughtering his minions with ease. He did not wish to engage in combat today, but he should've known better. Cloryn's Keep would not fall so easily. To summon more minions would be useless as this Anceiron was a Veteran, and posed a threat. Unfortunately for him, many a number of Anceiron's and Crusaders reside in Quagmire at this very moment, Tilacus would surely be the strongest among them, but not the last.

As the Imperial Crusader came within striking distance, he leaped into the air as high as his armor would allow him, "FOR THE GRAND EMPIRE!" he shouted as he brought his sword down upon Castiel, only to make contact with the stone floor beneath. Above him, a Raven began circling above Tilacus, but he was not fooled by this move, he knew very well of Castiel's shape-shifting powers. Tilacus sheathed his sword and pulled out a crossbow from behind him, taking aim at the Raven. "If you wish to perish as a brainless animal, so be it!" he was about to fire with precise aim at the Raven, but didn't notice another, circling above. They looked exactly the same, It seemed to come from nowhere These two turning into four, and four turning into six, the Ravens appeared from thin air. They landed a few feet from the Crusader and were engulfed in fire, taking the form of Castiel. Tilacus dropped his crossbow and charged at the group of impostors, sword in hand, without fear. "FIGHT LIKE A MAN, DEMON!"

He aimed for the one in the middle, and they did battle as the others surrounded the two. Tilacus disarmed the impostor and plunged his blade into it's chest, dispersing the clone into flames. He turned to face another, and another, one by one the clones burst into flames, their swords falling to the floor, until there was only one. "There is no avoiding the justice I shall bring upon defeating you, demon scum, now, FACE ME" Tilacus charged once more at Castiel, fighting ferociously and seemed to have the upper hand in the battle. Their swords clashed as they moved back and forth, Castiel swung for his head only to be parried and kicked in the stomach by Tilacus, as he bent forward the Crusader plunged his sword in the back of Castiel. He let out a demonic cry before dropping his blade and falling to the floor. Tilacus ripped his sword from the back of the demon, and looked around with a sense of accomplishment at the number of swords that lay on the floor.

A wave of shock and fear came over Tilacus. Observing the area, only five swords lay around him. He quickly took a defensive stance and turned around, only to receive a steel bolt from his crossbow inbetween the eyes. Tilacus dropped his blade and fell to the floor, as his soul rose from his chest, floating gracefully into Castiel's amulet, who stood a few yards away, with Tilacus's crossbow in hand.

Castiel tossed the crossbow to the side. A group of soldiers could be heard making their way to the area, he decided to use this opportunity to his advantage, and took the form of Tilacus. As he did so, the real body engulfed into flames, and was merely reduced to nothing but ash. The group of soldiers were lead by another Veteran Crusader, Haklo, who approached Tilacus (Castiel). "Tilacus! Brother! The Lord of Wraith has made his presence known, reinforcements are needed. Will you join us?" Tilacus (Castiel) proudly unsheathed his weapon. "May your enemies fear my blade and yours, brother." Haklo nodded. "And may yours fear mine, brother" Haklo lead the way to engage the Lord of Wraith.

As the cannoneers shouted and aimed at him, Hasir, slightly distracted, cocked his head and stopped shrieking. The soldiers, for about twenty meters about, lay on the ground, moaning. The ones who were closer to him were seriously mangled, and those farther away were less wounded, but still suffered from disabling injuries. The cannons flared, and the first ball crashed into him, glancing off his shoulder, and causing him to stumble. Shrieking in rage, he became the epicenter of yet another whirlwind of spectral blades, and pulling out his sword, started to charge the cannons. The first salvo, due to his movement, largely missed Hasir, but another shot hit him in the gut, cutting off his shriek for a second. Roaring, he called, "Albus! Siyah! Come to me, my daughters!" The twin banshee's heads cocked up, and leaving their slaughter, sprung over the gate with a howl. Landing in a crouch, on either side of him, Albus and Siyah looked to him for orders.

Hasir, quickly, in the swiftly fading period of time between salvos, commanded them to rush the battery, and as they began to fire, took up a defensive stance, large ebony blade covering most of his torso.The twins sprinted towards the cannons, (which hopefully couldn't have aimed towards them,) and staying low to the ground as they ran, reached the first cannon crew. Long claws slashing, the twins danced a slaughter, with ebony and ivory dancers the only ones in the spotlight.

Alzeius' wing's spread far, going even beyond the boundries of the council hall. He raised his hand and together with it his sword. ''Then it's been decided.'' Suddenly, however, interrupts Kalcius and speaks his mind. ''Humankind is of a disapointment! They only exhaust the resources given by the planet which you created for them.'' Alzeius glared at Kalcius, Archangel of Trust. ''Even whilst being the being of trust I find no trust in them!'' Alzeius redirected his blade towards Kalcius. ''I am no demon, but I am able to discipline my own brothers and sisters. They are doing what I made them do from the begining and so they will. Eventually they will reach beyond this Surface, but that is not for now, but for thousands of years into the future! We must act now, or they won't be able to reach that far into the future, maybe not even us. They are our source of increased power and ability. Without them we won't be able to go with equal power against the demons!'' He roared at Kalcius, the Vanquisher of Devils which he holds hard in his grasp begins to illuminate bright sun-like light. He redirected the blade upwards and soon a powerful, wide and Bright beam of pure Sunlight came out of the blade which was the Vanquisher of Devils. ''Unite by my side, fight as my kin and protect the lesser fortunate. We are angels of a previous realm and we fight for JUSTICE.'' He respoke the Oath of the Angelics and then continued. ''It's been decided... We march for Cloryn's Keep!''

Lexus Dominiel repeated the Oath of the Angelics along with the rest of the Council. "How shall we organize? Who shall lead the vanguard? Who shall provide support from behind in the rearguard?" Lexus Dominiel raised one arm skyward where appeared a black singularity that led to a pocket dimension from which he pulled out his warhammer while another appeared by his other arm from which he pulled out his tower shield. "As ever, I am ready to Punish the Guilty," he said while striking the haft of his hammer into the ground, "and Defend the Innocent," he said while striking the head of his hammer against his shield. Though before heading off to battle, he wanted to have a few private words with his brother, Kalcius.

The Grand Cannon Observer's eyes widened at the sight of the solitary Demon Lord still standing. Startled by the sudden movement, he turned to see the two banshees slaughtering his men. With a sort of panic, he said, "Turn! Turn! Turn and fire!" As the rest of the cannon batteries swiveled to face the two weaker demons, Hasir himself broke out of his defensive stance. In their panic, the mortals had forgotten the largest threat. Bounding forward, the Demon Lord swung his massive sword, and slicing a cannon and it's crew in half, screeched, mangling the crews of two more cannons with his spectral blades. With a short scream, a panicked cannoneer dropped the brand on the keg of gunpowder, and it exploded, launching cannon shot and shrapnel everywhere. With a hiss, Hasir stood firm against the onslaught of debris. The banshees, however, were not so lucky. Albus, her leg crushed by a cannonball, and Siyah, her chest pierced by a plank of wood, lay on the ground. With a cry of rage, the Lord of Wrath leaped over to them, and pulling out the plank from Siyah's chest, sent his daughters back to his throne in the Legion Commandorium, where they would recuperate. Slowly turning back to the remaining soldiers, the entire area hushed, as in anticipation. The soldiers stopped running away, and staring at Hasir with placid, curious looks, stood in front of him. Focusing his rage into a single spectral spike, he impaled the rest of the soldiers upon it, and removing the spike, turned it into a blade around his blade, reinforcing his already large sword. The deadly silence still lay over the battlefield, and looking around, Hasir saw two Templars foolishly rushing towards him. Jumping in the air, Hasir fell, blade pointing towards the ground where the Templars stood.