(2 hours later)

“WHERE IS EBONY?” Blue asks me over the deafening gunshots and clangs of swords. “SHE’S ON HER WAY, NOT MUCH LONGER JUST… DON’T LET THEM PAST THE BARRIER…” I answer. “I heard my name… What’s going on?” Ebony says through the comms, her voice calm and focused. “EBONY, YOU’RE ALREADY BATTLE READY… DAMN THAT SPELL MUST BE POTENT…” Blue says to Ebony. I can’t see her in the fray. Blue taps my shoulder and points to something or someone in the sky coming straight for us. It’s Ebony, her wings are somehow coated in Bloody Steel making misfired bullets ricochet off of them. “Ok, Griamore, what's the situation in the Med-Bay?” She asks. “Akko has his work cut out for him. The dead and dying are everywhere, and there’s nowhere to put new patients…” Griamore responds. “Ok, start moving the dead soldiers to the morgue, start getting the backup healers up to pace and tell Akko to take a break, he needs it. Also set up the field hospitals, we’re going to need them. I want fifteen hospital tents side by side, NOW!” Ebony commands. There was no gap in between the orders Ebony was shouting and the responses from the battalion leaders. “All Infantry battalions I want a Phoenix wing formation around any Warriors with live ammo Machine guns. Aerial battalions make sure any airbound enemies are grounded… I WANT ZERO AERIAL SUPPORT ON THE ENEMY YOU HEAR ME!” She commands. She was better at this than I was. I heard from my father that the harder it was for someone to command an army that was larger than twenty battalions, the better they were at commanding so many troops. “How many battalions are in your army Ebony?” Blue asks, I feel like he read my mind. “Over fifty-five… Why?” She says “How many troops in each, because there are easily over a million soldiers here…” Blue asks “Well there are easily over seventy battalions here because of the White-Gold Concordat, which Argo and I signed. But in my army there’s a maximum of two hundred thousand in each battalion. So, in my army alone there’s easily over one trillion soldiers. Not all of the soldiers in my army are demons though. We have quite a few hybrids and fallen archangels. Not all of them are housed here in hell though.” She responds. “How are you able to command that…” Blue starts, shocked. “I don’t really have to command them all, just the battalion leaders. So, my orders spread easily through the small groups that make up each battalion.” Ebony responds. I look up and see soldier after soldier dropping to the ground, all of them Ebony’s victims. I look at her face and its placid and serene. It seems the fact that she’s killing the undead had put her mind at ease. Her movements with her naginata were fluid as if it came as naturally as breathing to her. The undead began to swarm her making it hard to see what was going on. Then the air starts to buzz like the sound right before lightning strikes. Then lightning does strike in the general area where I last saw Ebony. Then I see two men standing back to back with Ebony, it was Addex and another wolf, both of them having feral snarls on their faces. Soon after I see Onyx, and what looks like arcs of lightning coming off of his sword.

(8 Hours later)

Soon after the battle ends Blue and I find Aries standing beside Ebony who is covered in blood, her own and Ezekiel’s. I look down to find Ezekiel, dead, one of his wings in Ebony’s hand. Her eyes were bloodshot and tired. She stumbles, nearly falling on a sword. Aries catches her, and before I can grab her or push him away he disappears. My blood boils with rage. I don’t know if he’s going to help her or hurt her even more. Just the thought of losing her again makes me sad. “She’ll be fine, she has quite the temper when she’s that tired so even if he does try to hurt her he’ll get killed in the process,” Blue says, putting his hand on my shoulder trying to reassure me. “There is no way she would hurt him without reason… She’s always been passive when she’s this tired, well around me at least…” I reply and Blue smiles. “We should most likely get back to the castle, either way, there is no use for us to just stay here and wait…” Blue says and I nod. When we got there Griamore walked up to me. “The commander needs you, she says it’s urgent…” He says. It was impossible to decipher his tone of voice. “How is she…” Blue asks. “She’s lost a lot of blood, Colby is working on a new arm and leg for her because the old ones were badly damaged in the fight with Ezekiel…” Griamore replies. Then about the time he does Colby walks in, “Well, I’m finishing ones I started just after I made the firsts… I expected something to happen to the original, though I never finished the spares with how much conflict had begun with Ezekiel…” He says, wrapping his arms around Blue whispering something in his ear. Blue smiles but it fades quickly, someone walks in the door. I turn to find Aries, still in full armor, his arm in a sling. I clench my fist when he walks forward. “Don’t…” Akko says walking in behind him, Gemini following behind him. “He’s on our side Argus… how else do you think Ebony got here, she wasn't in any condition to do it herself now was she…” Gemini says. “The damn shortie has a temper…” Aries mumbles then Gemini hits him in the back of the head. “Zhǐyǒu wǒ jiào tā ǎizi'”Gemini says, everyone including me looks at him with much confusion. “Only I call her shortie…” Colby translates. Aries and I turn to look at Gemini, he just shrugs and smiles, “It’s a long story…” He says. “Argus, the Commander needs you…” Griamore repeats. I nod, still confused on what Gemini said.

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I make my way to the infirmary, “A-Argo…” Ebony says the moment I walk in. I walk over to the bed she’s laid in, brushing my cheek against hers, kissing her. I laid my head down on her chest, my nose close to her neck. "Thank the gods you alright..." I say, she lifts her hand, running it through my hair weakly."What's wrong...?" I ask, standing back up. “It hurts Argo, everything hurts…” She says. "I...I'm sorry..." I say, my hand briefly rubbing over hers. "Just be careful with her Argus, she's bruised quite badly... and it’d be best to let her rest..." Akko says walking in. “She will be alright, right…” I ask. “In time, yes, she won’t be fully herself for quite some time, but she will eventually…” Akko says, and he smiles. I go to walk out but I hear Ebony, “A-Argo p-please don’t go…” she pleads. I look back to her, then look to Akko. His arms are crossed, his yellow eyes look bright and his pupils narrow. I smile and he shrugs and walks out, laughing slightly. “I’m sorry but I have to get the body count from the workers at the morgue and I have to get a headcount of the surviving soldiers… I’ll ask Akko to stay here with you… I really do want to stay here but I have to cover for you while you’re in recovery…” I say gently.“P-Please get G-Gem… A-Akko is always busy…” She says, then about that time Gemini walks in. "Yes...?" He says, his eyes bright as he makes his way slowly on his crutches. “She’s afraid of being alone right now… could you watch her while I get a headcount of surviving soldiers and a body count of the casualties…” I ask and he nods. “I’ll be back soon… I love you…” I say, kissing Ebony on the forehead. “I-I love you too A-Argo…”She says weakly. I smile and I walk out of Ebony’s room carefully closing the door behind me when Akko stops me. “Argus, I gave Ebony enough painkillers to make her body numb but somehow she’s still in pain… I think her scar is acting up again but if it is the effects are much different from what they usually are… Her entire body is showing symptoms of silver poisoning… not just her lungs and eyes… it’s five times worse than when she originally got the scar…” He says, his pupils shrink to small slits. "Argus... I don't know what else to do..." Akko admits, I put my hand on his shoulder. "You've done quite a lot, and I appreciate that... we'll figure it out..." I say, trying to reassure him. Akko smiles, his eyes brighten, then he walks off down the hallway. “Lord Astaroth…” Orion, my second in command, says behind me. "I have told you a million times to call me Argus... but yes…?” I ask. “I have the headcount of the surviving soldiers…But the guards at the morgue refuse to let me inside…” Orion says. “Ok, I’m guessing you had to have clearance from either me or Ebony…” I say. “That is correct Sir Argus…”