The Red Hand

Chapter 483 – The Machinations of the Gods.

"A destructive clash to say nothing else..." Gale hummed in thought as he replayed the fight between Halifax and Labrys on a floating 'screen.' He had one of his servants use magic to 'record' the battle, and he and Esquire were watching it in his office. “I must say, Halifax truly has grown far more powerful than I'd expected.”

"We are lucky the Demon Lord did not get her hands on the Axe." Esquire pursed her lips as a mixture of emotions flashed through her eyes watched the recorded battle. "Though we still need to worry about Halifax. If she's reverted to her former existence, then your plans will be in jeopardy."

{And Miz'ri... Why are you traveling toward the Whistlewoods with that Hero? The same feeling that sent you to the Demon Lord is telling me not to interfere, but why? For what reason are you going to-} (Esquire)

"It hasn't." Gale said, interrupting her train of thought. "Even if by some chance it was possible to undo our transformation of the Demon Blade, we'd notice the power it would unleash upon its return to its former state." He said as he continued to watch the video, clicking his tongue in disgust as he cursed himself for letting Halifax slip from his grasp. "Though the Blade's increased power is a concern. We've been careless over these last few thousand years. I should've ordered her destruction when we had the chance. Or at the very least, ordered her sealed."

{I let my own ambition get the better of me. Halifax was always a threat to us as she could kill higher beings, but I was hoping to use her as part of my plan to acquire her creator's power for myself. Destroying her when she was weak-minded would've been the right call, for now her blade is firmly turned against us. If this new Demon Lord wields her, then it will complicate my plans and may force me to make unfortunate decisions.} (Gale)

"She proved useful over the millennia, despite her potential for volatility." Esquire said as she looked away. "Without her, destroying my Brother would've proved... Difficult."

"We can't undo our past choices, and regretting them will do nothing but waste precious time." Gale as he waved away both the 'video' and her concerns. "Time that we have precious little of, might I remind you."

"Will Rehael be departing soon?" Esquire knew that the Angel would be sent to invade Earth, though the exact details of the operation were something only the Order God knew. "I know that the Spirit's life essence is essential to our escape, but I must admit my skepticism that this plan will pan out. Even with the dozen or so Eridal Power Reactors you've acquired, unbinding us from this world may simply be impossible."

"The Reactors will be an important base, but a strong connection is necessary as well." Gale nodded. He'd done preliminary testing to prove that it was possible to unbind and transfer a God, though the only real way to know if it would work was to try it. "And to be safe, I've prepared an ace up my sleeve to ensure that our efforts will not be in vain."

{Though I still need one of that creature's spawn to make use of its power effectively, and the likelihood I acquire one of them is quite low.} (Gale)

"My next concern is that Rehael will be easily defeated by the Demon Lord before we can even begin." Esquire continued. "She may be born from the power of a Demon Lord and even improved upon by her merger with Divinity, but she cannot hope to defeat the real deal. Even if she was only as powerful as Vikes would such a battle be impossible, but this Demon Lord is stronger. I cannot imagine she would last even a moment."

"Which is why we won't allow the two to meet." Gale said as he pulled a small stack of papers from a drawer in his desk. "Read this." He said before sliding them to Esquire.

"A plea from the Demon Kingdom?" Esquire hummed in thought as she read the documents, her mind piecing together the disparate pieces of the puzzle. "Nobles in the Kingdom seek the aid of the Coalition in freeing their people from the tyranny of the Demon Lord and her puppet leader... Hmmmm..."

"It would seem that Demonkind still has fools willing to be blindly loyal to us. I must admit that I was somewhat concerned by the declaration that this Vampire was Erlathan's heir." Gale said, a look of displeasure forming on his face. "We worked hard to ensure that bloodline's extinction so an actual successor would be troublesome, but my agents tell me it's merely a fabrication to garner legitimacy."

"I hope so. Erlathan's blood would be a threat." Esquire said as she continued to read the document. "His lineage was the only one capable of birthing mortals with the ability to kill our kind. It was only natural that we disposed of it and those fools who wished to usurp us."

"Regardless of her connection to Erlathan or lack thereof, this presents an opportunity." Gale said. "The Demon Kingdom is in turmoil, and our forces are nearly prepared for an offensive. This should prove to be the perfect time to launch a two-pronged assault on the Demon Lord."

"You wish to engage her here while Rehael invades her world." Esquire correctly deduced his plan. "That would prevent the Demon Lord returning and interfering with the destruction of the Spirits. But, are the tools to allow a limited incarnation usable? I know Hilare has been working nonstop on those mechanical 'Angels' of yours."

"They are indeed." Gale said as he flicked his fingers and made a small coin-like item appear in his hand. "See for yourself." He said before tossing it to her. The small 'coin' was inscribed with an incredibly complex weave of magic and filled with Divine power far beyond that which made up most artifacts created by the Gods. The exact methods used to create such a thing and what they were made of were a closely guarded secret, though Esquire and the others had quickly deduced that they involved taboo ingredients.

"And this small token will stop the negative effects?" Esquire asked in disbelief as she examined it. "I fail to see how that is possible. Even a single one of us incarnating generates an absurd amount of energy, energy which has the potential to bring the entire world crumbling down around us."

"While it will not stop all destabilization, it will dramatically reduce it." Gale explained. "The destructive force will be suppressed and contained. I actually found a way to convert it into useful energy for our escape. Though it will require a conduit in the material plane, but I've got the perfect candidate."

"I see..." Esquire hummed in thought as she analyzed the glimmering inscriptions on the 'coin.' "Creation Energy would have the properties required to free us from our bindings, but the risk-"

"Is going to be there no matter what." Gale interrupted her. "This is the best we have under the circumstances. An unaided incarnation of any scale threatens to tear this world apart at the seams, and if we're to fight the Demon Lord, it will require our full power. Using Avatars against such a powerful foe is, as we've seen, pointless."

"Given that she can kill us through them, I would agree." Esquire nodded as she returned the 'coin' to him. "So, what is your plan? Are we to all incarnate and attack her together? I find it hard to believe that Enoris would survive such a thing."

"As much as I'd like to do just that, no." Gale shook his head as he slipped the 'coin' into his pocket. "Hilare was only able to create six of these, and he warned me that using even that few will undermine the stability of our world to a critical degree." He continued. "Defeating the Demon Lord will require all of us fighting together. No matter how much more powerful than Vikes she may be, dealing with all of us fighting together will prove to be her undoing. We just need to set things up so that we can get there."

"But have you not said that she wants a direct confrontation with us?" Esquire asked with a raised brow. "Sending in half a dozen of us is merely asking for our forces to be diluted. I doubt even the best of us can defeat her with such limited numbers; I'm skeptical."

"Which is why the goal won't be to defeat her in this coming battle." Gale explained that all he wanted to do was buy time. "Those who engage the Demon Lord won't be doing it intending to win. Rather, their mission will be instead to delay. She cannot be in two places at once, and my intention here is to turn the coming battle on its head." He continued. "The Demon Lord indeed seeks to engage us in battle, but this is out of an arrogant underestimation of our power and a foolish belief that she cannot be defeated. In her mind, we are nothing more than a nuisance and we can use that to our advantage."

"I see, if we were to appear unexpectedly during battle..." Esquire hummed in thought.

"She wants a confrontation, and that's exactly what I'm going to give her." Gale chuckled. "Though it won't be the kind she was expecting, and by the time she understands exactly what our plan is..."

"It will already be too late." Esquire smirked.

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"It took far longer to quiet him down than expected." Reflia said as she spoke to Evindal, Labrys held tightly in her hands as the two walked between the endless rows of books lining the walls of her library. After capturing Labrys, she'd brought the Demon Axe and her accomplice back to her domain to fully break and subdue the weapon, a task that took more effort than she was expecting but in the end she was victorious. "However, this thing is no more than a mere magical tool. Something I know more about than anyone else, so its defeat was all but guaranteed."

"I can't believe we actually managed to capture him." Evindal said with a sigh of relief. "When I felt the Demon Lord's power rushing toward the battlefield, I thought my heart was going to explode."

"Had the Demon Lord acquired Labrys, it wouldn't have changed the eventual fate of this world." Reflia replied. "It will be destroyed. Either by its own natural destruction or one who actively seeks its end."

{Though I'd rather it be destroyed by me. Gale stabbed me in the back with the Spirits, and I won't let that bastard have his way!} (Reflia)

"So, what now?" Evindal asked as they paused in front of a large metal door with countless enchantments covering it, all of which seemed dedicated to blocking out scrying or other senses. "You have the Demon Lord's weapon and the Power Reactors. Are you going to..."

"I will strike when Gale least expects it." Reflia smirked as she opened the large door, revealing over a dozen floatingEridal Power Reactors chained at the center of a large circular chamber that hummed with magic. "And I will ensure that nothing of him, his plans, or this world survives."