Lux Locus: Fractured Family
The other side

A lone figure stood atop one of the many stone colossi of the city, accompanied by some fat, winged oni nervously bouncing and chittering in place. Looking upwards, he could see a few of the regimentarium’s navy lowering themselves into the atmosphere. As he already knew, the cultists were in no way to challenge the regimentarium itself until they could replace an ample supply of weapons and vehicles, but something was off. Only two destroyer-class ships were present, and on the under-side of their cylindrical forms were two mouths baring four sharp teeth.

“The king was once a mighty ruler,” the figure said. “Beloved by his people and his soldiers. Conquest after conquest he acquired new lands, and his people rejoiced. They had more lands to grow food and build lives. Cheers did his soldiers make, for they had more glory and trophies to bring home. Congratulations did the nobles bring, for the king brought them trade and resources.”

The yellow eyes of the figure’s armor glowed bright with advent of channeled mana. “But the ‘spoils of war’ did not profit from this. They were victims of their own incompetence and weakness. Toys for the spoiled children to play with and break, but even a child can have too many toys.”

The figure raised his left arm, bringing into existence a blue staff topped with a silver bird’s head. At the same time, he raised his right arm, carrying a sword with a silver hilt of simple design and a blade made from yellow crystals.

“The slaves rebelled, stealing weapons and killing the soldiers and populace in retribution for their own losses, unaware of the irony in their uprising.”

Be it to the prosecutors to call upon an orbital bombardment upon their own ‘sacred’ city. The mouths cried out with anger, and the buildings started to collapse slowly with each word of rage.

"With all of his guards dead, the mighty king was chained, stripped of gold, and cast down onto his battered and bloody knees."

The demons looked at the armored figure glow with a bright, yellow light.

"Angered, they asked the king 'Why did you attack our homes? Kill our families and friends?'. The king did not answer. Once more they queried. 'Why steal our homes and place your own within them? Why dismantle our armies but grow your own? Why hunt our neighbors instead of talking?'. Yet the king, once more, did not answer. Angered, the slaves grabbed him by his fair and raised his eyes to meet their own. When asked what he thought about how he was cast down by lowly slaves, he deigned an answer."

An arc of blue mana formed between the sword and staff, and a storm of magic started to form in the sky.

"A king does not answer to his slaves."

A deafening thundercrack preceded a massive shield of mana appearing above the entirety of the city and blocking the orbital fire.

Zenith and CQ stopped in their tracks and looked upwards to see the reason for the sky darkening.

"What in the world? A barrier of storms?!" Zenith shouted. He clenched his fists. "Tzinma," he growled.

The magus used the fat demons to fly him down to a large platform interlinking multiple buildings and possessing a plethora of damaged holographic projectors, stalls, and various other amenities for a 'concrete park'. He moved to the edge of the platform and looked over it. There were various, repeating flashes and small explosions spread out the city, although it was very difficult to see with all the buildings blocking the view.

"Hm. It doesn't look like we're making progress."

"Tchtchtch," a demon clicked. Its speech was slurred by its constant slobbering. "Maybe you should summon more demons for us. Maybe even...tchtch...another greater demon of Mumbass?"

"Or a demon chief?" the other suggested. "You have the power, Tzinma."

Tzinma acknowledge their ideas by smashing his staff into their bodies and making painful mana flow through their bodies.

"I have already summoned a greater demon as permitted by the incomplete openings to Mumbass' realm. If I could only get a single greater through there, what makes you disgusting things think that I could pass a demon of an even HIGHER level through them?"

The demons belched painfully and slobbered on the floor while they recovered.

"We j-just thought that, with the power you possess, you could summon--"

"We simply had HOPE, you see," the second chittered innocently.

Tzinma stared at them through his helmet, then looked back over the edge of the platform. "Yes. Hope. That thing."

The first demon tapped its 'relative'. "Do you think they brought in Gragantu?"

"Shhh, you fat fool! They brought in greater demons. That is all!"

Tzinma made a single laugh. "Gragantu? The god of red and white doesn't send him out for something as simple as this."

The two lesser demons burped a sigh of relief.

"That being said, we have ground to cover, and I believe that factory over there will do our forces nicely if we can capture it, as the forces of Blumarak have a headstart on demons." Tzinma paused a moment, assessing the situation. "Yes. They indeed have a headstart, but our followers have gained various footholds. Ironic how those with the advantages have trouble with strategic planning." He looked to the demons. "Fly me to the factory."

The magus was taken by his arms, as commanded, and flown to the factory where Kormsin was currently barreling through to replace the Sanctified Ones. Deciding on a more stealthy approach, the man decided to take a trip through the cable and wire support grates lining the ceilings and walls of the complex. The further in he went, the bloodier and more destroyed the areas become. Generators were smoking from shorting out due to cultists being thrown through them, steel beams had been ripped out of the walls and used to impale cultists like javelins, and both blood and bullet holes were a prominent feature.

"Incredible," Kormsin whispered in awe. "They have been using their fists and melee weapon to brutalize these cultists." He looked over an assembly line to see machinery broken off its hinges and resting on the broken floor with red underneath. "Even the pillars don't resort to this kind of excessive brutality. These truly are monsters rivaling Blumarak's demons."

He continued through, vaulting and rounding the obstacles holding up the cables until he started to hear sounds of battle. The warrior rushed forward, his sword pulsating with eagerness. He came across an office where the afol anda had gone, and within they fought against the cultists. Even those who had rushed out of the office were met with a group of three sanctified ones awaiting them. One such fool found herself attacking one of the afol, but the armored pillar grabbed the one by the head, crushed it effortlessly, then threw the body into a wall.

"The cultists have been disposed of," the woman said as she shook her hands in an attempt to remove the blood. "Are there others in the vicinity?"

"No," another answered. "Communications have stated the advent of followers of Mumbass on the other side of the complex. They have encountered followers of Blumarak. They are having a clash."

Kormsin clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Followers of the fat one are here already, huh? I can't say that this wasn't expected, but still."

Kormsin lifted his sword and dropped down, letting his sword slam down onto the shoulder of an afol. The blade broke through the mana shield and dented the shoulder plate, and before the super soldier backhanded Kormsin, he jumped back then thrust himself and his blade forward.

The sword point was caught in one armored hand by the same afol anda. Surprisingly, they could not push Kormsin away as easily as the simple humans. The pillar was struggling, yet their face remained as emotionless and open-eyed as usual.

"What's the matter, pillar? Struggling to fight against a regular human?"

The warrior of Blumarak found himself shot thrice on the left side of his torso and backed away. He smacked the wounds multiple times, clearly in pain, but the demon serving as his blood was having trouble healing him. He looked up to see the two other afol standing next to the one he attacked wielding aetgar rifles glowing a bright white.

"Ah. I underestimated your abilities. You have access to more concentrated forms of mana."

"Which have been purified by the Administrator," an afol added.

"Too bad that it won't be enough to kill me."

"That remains to be seen."

The other two afol anda in the office ducked under the frame of the door in order to reach the sides of their comrades. Five pillars were staring down what appeared to simply be a human empowered by a demon of Blumarak.

"Then let us away to the dance of blood, shall we?"