Darkest Light Chapter 3

Darkest Light

3

Raising his left hand, Koltraine threw a fistful of fire at the direction of the floating Demons. His target swerved to the left and moved towards him. Koltraine had predicted that throwing another attack at it would just be a waste of strength so he waited for the Demon to get in range. As soon as it did, he executed a blazing uppercut. He grabbed the stunned Demon by the strap of its nightgown and smashed it to the ground. Its head hit the ground first and splattered in a gore of inhuman flesh and blood. He whirled behind him as he sent a dark energy in the shape of a sharp dagger at an Axeman Demon. The Axeman was in the process of charging at them but when the arcane construct hit it squarely on the chest, the Axeman fell backwards, its spine slammed against the ground. He made a few steps forward and spied a fleet of floating demonic ladies in nightgowns; covering the air as if they were kites flown by a group of people. They are speeding towards the Strike Team to intercept them.

"They know we are here!" Koltraine said with a raised voice, hoping it would be heard despite of the noise around them. He advanced further towards their enemies with his fists raised. He had slipped his polearm behind his back moments earlier since it hinders him from using his Enochian Arcane abilities completely.

He closed in on an Axeman and launched his glowing fist at its face, it vaporized in an instant. He whirled to the left and sent an elbow strike to another Axeman, stunning it momentarily. He launched a left hook and shattered its right cheek completely, if it had any. He only felt something solid when his fist touched the hooded face of the Demon and he could even hear a snap emmanating from within. He wasted no time and he grabbed the Demon by its hood. He smashed its obscured face with his right knee. The Axeman fell on the ground, unconscious.

Koltraine was sure that the Demon was killed. A single punch from a Protectorate was enough to kill a person due to their enhanced strength that they owe to their Battle Gears, much less a Demon with an unprotected face. He knelt down beside it and snatched the small axe from its left hand. He cocked back and aimed at another Axeman but he decided against it because his attention was caught by a floating Lady above them. He threw; the axe spun and reached its target swiftly. The lady in the nightgown immediately crashed to the ground with a loud, muffled thud, decapitated.

"Nice shot, brother!" Blackshot complimented as he crushed a lady's face with his armored boot. He stared back at the superior Protectorate again and said, "By the looks of it, they only committed a small amount of their forces to stop us."

"Which scares me, for when we reached our objective, we might encounter the main invasion force."

"Yeah and those pesky Humans too." Blackshot replied as he stood in a fighting stance. In front of him was an Axeman, ready to strike. He glared at it, daring the damned creature to attack. As it did so, Blackshot stepped to the left with his hands gripping the Demon's forearm tight. He put it in a lock; its wrist tucked beneath his right arm and his left hand on its neck. He stepped back a little further, pulling the Axeman on an odd position. He sent a powerful chop to its neck and severed its windpipe from its brain. He grabbed the axe from its hand and struck to the left, beheading an Axeman.

He drew his sharp bolos for the second time, he found himself grinning with joy at the sight of the enemies set before him. For some reason, the Protectorate saw it as a playground to vent both his anger and frustration. He also saw it as a great way to indulge in pain inflicted on him in combat. It was the other side-effect that Koltraine was aware of but the Protectorate has it had no idea that he was affected. Swinging his weapons over his head, he sprinted at an Axeman and launched a kick at its chest.

The force had overwhelmed the Demon; it hit the ground and was killed instantly. Blackshot swung both his bolos on the left then thrust his right bolo to the east, impaling another Axeman. He slammed the hilt of his left weapon at its chest, sending it away. He swings both his weapon over his head again and rotated in a clockwise motion. He swung his weapon in a weaving motion as he charged another group of enemies. Sharp blades of axes began to hit him because of his reckless decisions. His chestplate started to burst in sparks as a large diagonal slash wound marked itself on the surface of the armor. His left shoulder plate was damaged in an instant and his face was scarred with a diagonal slash as well. Blackshot did not stop as he strikes his right weapon on the left, a decapitating blow. He slammed his hilt on the headless corpse before striking an Axeman with a horizontal motion. The blade had penetrated through the fabric of its jacket and the thickness of its skin. Dark crimson blood sprayed everywhere, covering the Protectorate with it.

He spun in a clockwise motion and landed a kick at the rib of another Axeman before he swung both his bolos at the face of another Axeman. He twirled both bolos on his hands, inverting his grip in the process. He stabbed the ground as he invoked an invisible force, sending nearby Demons flying elsewhere and forcing the floating ones to crash down. The scenery around him suddenly became quiet. The Protectorate knew that he angered the Demons around him. He changed his stance to aggressive as he prepared himself for a violent combat. The first Demon, a Lady in White, charged at him face first. Blackshot struck and cut its face off. The second Demon, an Axeman, swung its blade at him. The Protectorate sidestepped to the right and impaled the Demon at the chest. He twisted it and drew the blade from its flesh. He turned behind him and sent a flaming kick at a Lady, then he swung both his swords over his head as he�struck at another Axeman. His bolos sparked in flames due to his overflowing power. As the next Demon closed in, Blackshot struck at it endlessly until its body turned into charred flesh.

Vengeance assisted her brother as she raised her automatic pistol at the nearest Demons around him. She sighted an Axeman's head and bursted it with bullets. She fired at a Lady and disintegrated her chest into a pulp of gore. She cocked back and threw a wet ball at a charging Axeman, stunning it momentarily. She sprayed the remaining bullets at the Demon; its body danced as ammuniton made contact with its body. She tossed the empty clip at a charging Lady and quickly slapped a fresh new one. She raised her aim and fired at the Demon, taking it down. She ran, speeding past the fighting Protectorates and Demons on the battlefield and finally reached Blackshot on time. Her brother glanced at her with crazed look in his eyes. He was covered in dark crimson liquid and his armor were all damaged.

"What do you want?" He asked, irritated at her presence.

"Help me cut a path for our brothers."

He nodded in agreement as the two of them charged at Demons in front of them. The gate is visible on the horizon and by the looks of it, they can reach it by foot had it not for these monsters. Vengeance could see a large crowd of Aswangs obstructing the gate outside the Garden. They stood there, en massed. They were not engaging for some reason despite of their Demonic brethren being torn down. Yet, the Protectorate could sense the excitement and rage they feel; they wanted to intervene. It seems like an order from a superior was what keeping them from assisting.

Vengeance and Blackshot stopped to meet a large crowd of Demons; both Axemen and Ladies alike. Vengeance gripped her weapon tight; adrenaline is rushing through her veins. She could hear footsteps coming from behind. Her instinct was to raise her weapon and fire but when she did, she suppressed herself immediately when she saw her fellow teammates running to them, already finished with the remaining Demons behind. Koltraine walked past the two of them and stood in front. His right hand was already gripping the staff of the polearm tight.

"I was thinking about issuing a Polearm Discipline for all of you, but I guess we will use that later when we face the Aswangs on the gate. I don't want to put restrictions in combat that would have prevent you from crushing the enemies."

"What are your orders, sir?" Nightlight, for the first time, had spoke.

"The usual; seek and destroy."

With that, the Protectorates charged at the Demonic Legionnaires in front of them. Vengeance opened fire, Blackshot struck relentlessly and Koltrain thrust repeatedly. The frontline Demons were already started to break apart within five seconds of fighting. Nightlight tossed both his knives in the air and jumped. He caught it midair and descended upon an Axeman with both of his daggers ripping the Demon's chest apart. He swept another Axeman off balance, and descended a blade at its face. He tossed his left weapon at a Lady, hitting its head and breaking its skull apart. He rolled forward as he avoided an Axeman's blade. He retaliated as he spun in counter-clockwise rotation while swinging the blade towards his assailant. Its hidden neck was slit in an instant and dark crimson blood sprayed out of it. He whirled behind him and spied a trio of Demons lined up; two Ladies and an Axeman. He grinned as he launched his left hand at them; a streak of electricity in the shape of a roaring dragon engulfed the three and fried them completely.

Torro tackled an Axeman to the ground. He shoved his right fist at its obscured face twice before prying the axe from its gloved fingers. He hacked his enemy open repeatedly before he cocked back and hurled his stolen axe at a floating Lady. He balled his left fist; the earth from the ground started to float and stuck itself to his hand. The hardened soil had enveloped his fist completely. His right hand covered as well. He charged at the Demons in front of him and began swinging his fists wildly. His first casualty was an Axeman, who had its head smashed completely. He backfisted a Lady, decapitating it with a blow. He sent a straight punch at another Lady before sending an elbow strike at the Axeman behind him. The Demon has managed to dent his backplate with its dirty weapon. As a retaliation, he swatted its head with his knuckles. In front of him were a group of Axemen charging at him. They had probably made him a priority due to his collateral damage against their Legion. He sent an uppercut at the Demon at the center, then turned to the left slightly as he launched a right cross. He propelled his left fist at the Demon on the left and executed a powerful hook that bursted its chest in the process.

"Brothers!" Koltraine called as he stepped on the top of an Axeman, the only Demon left. He impaled it at the heart, killing it. "Victory is ours!"

The Garden became eerily quiet as soon as the last of the Demons was slain. The five regrouped in the bloodied path of the Gardens. Koltraine noticed that the fight has changed the surroundings completely. One of the lampposts was blown apart, the plants were stained with dark red liquid and the formerly pristine road was now a graveyard to hundreds of Demons. Koltraine and the others walked, the only noise was the sound of their armored boots crushing the dirt of the road. The night had seemed to change as well with the stars now covered by clouds. Not a single soul, aside from the Aswangs ahead, could be seen. Eventually, they reached the Gate, but were unable to get out due to the obstructing contingent of Aswangs that stood between them and the road.

The combatants stood there, glaring at one another. The silence was very disturbing; both entities seemed to be talking with their minds. Koltraine yelled as he charged at the Monsters in front of them.