Cedrick's [Structured Mind] was screaming at him. Aether exploded all around him, the remnants of their wall burst through their lines as demons poured in to try and kill them.

Two of the demon Elites, Fel and Aelg, had butchered their flanks before Cedrick could even respond. In the face of their assault, the Veridian's will was crumbling. The tall Otters holding strong was probably the only reason that they hadn't immediately fled, but it was a close thing.

Cedrick's [Structured Mind] told him there was no hope of victory. Veridia was lost.

Luke clearly didn't know that.

"VERIDIANS STAND STRONG!" His shout cut through the chaos as he sprinted directly towards Aelg, the second heir wielding his giant earthen hammer.

Cedrick knew Luke would lose. The gap was too large. He was doomed. They were all doomed.

Luke was always overconfident and arrogant. Even now, he was wrong, but... there was no right answer. He was taking the worst action logically, but somehow it was the best path.

It was Cedrick that was weak and afraid.

"FOR VERIDIA!" His voice cracked with his warcry and the tears strolling down his face couldn't have inspired confidence, but Cedrick took after Luke's inspiration and charged towards Fel, the first heir.

The demon towered over him, four arms each wielding a short sword, and his Aura blazed. As Cedrick closed with him, he felt as though he'd stepped directly into a forest fire.

Cedrick tightened his rapier in his fist. General Rowan had always described the weapon as a graceful sword that only damaged exactly what it meant to. It felt woefully inadequate now.

He rushed in anyways.

His attack was immediately parried. The return strike from Fel came at him faster than he could see. He managed to step back, but fire raced down the sword and crawled across his face.

He screamed.

Pain invaded every corner of his being and [Structured Mind] meant that he felt every second of it. That pain dragged like an eternity and the sounds of battle seemed distant.

Cedrick hadn't been the only one to charge in, but his soldiers had even less progression on their Knot. They barely offered any resistance as they were being cut down.

"HOLD!" Luke's voice cut through the pain, but even his voice seemed strained from injury.

That's right. We have to hold.

For what? No one's coming, [Structured Mind] whispered to him. The General has abandoned you and the Emperor has gone mad. Only death awaits you.

Then I guess I'll die.

Cedrick stumbled to his feet. He could only see blurs through the burns on his face, but he didn't need to see. All he had to do was follow that burning aura.

He roared. It was not one of defiance. It was pain made manifest, but still he persisted. Two wobbling steps turned to a sprint as he more fell than ran forward, rapier first.

Hot air whistled as he drew close and excruciating pain scorched his knee, but somehow his leg didn't hurt at all.

No, his leg was gone.

It didn't matter. He'd already closed in. He fell forward and his rapier struck flesh. His grim satisfaction was interrupted by more hot air and his waist feeling like it had been dropped directly into a vat of hot oil.

Whatever small scratch he'd managed had cost him everything, but maybe it was enough for the others. Maybe it bought time for them to run or enough time for them to unleash their own spite on the demons that killed them.

Or maybe... just maybe, it provided enough time for hope.

***

[One with the Shadows] had kept her concealed as she slunk around the battlefield, looking for the heirs, but they'd hidden themselves well in the center of their forces.

It wasn't until they'd charged in did she find her true targets, Fel and Aelg.

Fel, the one closest to her, had struck the human's line like a meteor. His speed and flames tore through their lines faster than Tiria could change her course.

She grimaced as she watched the human Commander Cedrick get cut in half for a measly scratch on Fel's calf. Most of his own troops lay dead around him, but with Samba's templars, the center still held.

And she was finally in range.

Tiria leapt through the air. Three all-white versions of her self followed suit, each of them wielding maces formed from her [Waterborn Armory]. Her approach was silent. A lesser foe would have never seen her coming.

He spun, two blades arcing directly towards her.

Cursing, she activated [Water Lily], stepping on a concentrated pocket of water in the air before flipping backwards. Every one of her summons were killed.

Tiria kicked off a nearby building a dove forward again. [Water Lily] also increased her speed naturally while moving towards an opponent and only that was enough to let her get close in between his last attack and his next one.

Pulling on her Domain, she built a giant shield of water on her left and swung her mace upward. Her water mace smacked into his thigh with a hiss and Fel's grimace told her that it hurt; though, it wasn't debilitating.

She would have smiled, but she braced herself just as his second attack impacted her shield and her construct barreled into her. Steam erupted on the other side as she was sent flying.

As Tiria got to her feet, Fel casually backhanded a human in a spray of blood and gore then rested two of his blades across his shoulder. His voice rumbled, casually authoritarian. "I'd wondered when they'd send out their true Elites. I was starting to think you didn't have any."

"I wouldn't recommend underestimating us. We've got a history of toppling ruling monsters."

Fel scoffed. "Murdering second class species is no account for true power."

"Perhaps," Tiria said, "but then killing you won't tell me much either."

She'd spent so much time feeling confused and lost when Gi had died. Even when he'd returned, she hadn't felt like a true Subgenitor any longer. She wasn't fit to lead the clan.

That was still all true, but she still had her pride as a Subgenitor. Losing now would only shame both Gi and the clan.

Tiria poured Aether into her Domain. Heavy armor sprouted out of her shoulders and draped along her chest. Waterborn constructs grew from her arms and legs until her height matched the demon heir's.

As an after thought, she grew two more Waterborn arms so that she also had four wielding maces that had grown in size to match.

Her [Fighting Style] (Path of the Clan) was already whispering in her ear. She'd have to modify some of the clan's own fighting styles to make this work. Samba's control style would be crucial against a stronger foe and Kumo's style would need to be altered to support four maces instead of two.

But she could do it.

Fel laughed. "You've spent so much Aether just to mimic my power. Is that truly all you have?"

"No," Tiria said, and this time, she did smile. "I've got friends.

Consternation spread across his features as he heard a rumble growing like a building stampede. His eyes darted to one of the alley ways between buildings.

Dozen of rhinos surged out of the alley, each of them wielding the giant hammer, but it was Georgia at the front that commanded the most attention. Her eyes blazed with shadows that instantly fired on Fel.

He raised two of his swords to block and then Tiria stormed forward.

***

Shadow Aether flooded Krayli and a thrumming teal light enveloped her bow. She loosed another arrow at Aelg just as his hammer was set to break the human he was fighting.

The human, one of their commanders she guessed, wielded vine and earth for a more complex fighting style than she'd have expected from one who only seemed to charge forward.

If it wasn't for Krayli's intervention, he'd have died within seconds like those on the northern side of the battle.

Her eyes flicked there to see Tiria wearing water Aether like a giant suit of armor. Both she and Georgia battled it out with the other demon Elite like gods trying to take down a titan. Despite their skills, they still looked to be the underdogs.

Well, it was more even than this human.

Krayli fired off another arrow that saved the man again. It was good that he didn't look around to see his savior, but he had far too much trust. He'd started making riskier moves, forcing Krayli to continue to help him stall the gravity demon.

And it was a stalling tactic.

His right side had already been crushed by the demon's earthen hammer before Krayli had moved in to help. She was surprised that he wasn't dead already and suspected the man had some type of Vitality boosting Skill.

His vines were able to avoid the worst of the demon's gravity control and snag at the demon's movements, but weren't able to stop him. His stabbing vines did little damage and his best effort meant just dodging while he slowly wore himself out.

"Helping here is pointless," she muttered, but she wasn't able to get the Fighting Drake's words out of her head. Her father, Hillin, had believed in Noctua's goals and had thought that Gi was the best way. If his followers were gone though, was he not dead already?

Helping now made no sense. Yet, here she was anyways.

The human's castle was in shambles. The flanks had all but disappeared and only the ferocity of the demon Elites' fight kept a flood of demons from pouring into the city. The center was holding for now, but the demons were using their numbers to bleed it out. It wouldn't last either.

There were a few more humans left in Gi's camp, but most of the monsters there were decimated. Even if they could pull a miracle and beat the Elites, it would cost too much in blood and the horde of demons would still end them.

And killing the Elites would take a miracle.

After firing an arrow, she looked finally to the middle of that red sea of demons.

Gi fought alone.

Even as Krayli looked on, the Demon Emperor snatched Gi out of the air and spiked him into the ground. Gi managed to land heavily on his feet, but the Emperor was already racing along a stream of dirt down towards him.

One of Gi's light blasts was quickly dodged and a double hook from the Emperor's two right arms was slowed by a sacrificial summon that immediately burst into Aether and the fist carried through to collide with Gi.

The otter Progenitor was sent tumbling along the ground and barely managed to get to his feet before the Emperor surged forward to pummel him again.

"Pointless," Krayli said again, as she sent another arrow flying to save the human commander's life. "Absolutely pointless."

***

General Rowan and Emperor Veritas rose to their feet in the small sitting room as they felt the twin spikes of Aether.

"What in the First One's hell?" Veritas's eyes were wide and clean streaks from tears still ran down his face. "Are the demons so bold as to attack us directly?"

It was impossible to judge how full of Aether another's Soul was, but he hoped it had been long enough. "They fight our soldiers even now. We need to take the fight to their Emperor."

An uncharacteristic snarl appeared on Veritas's face. "I will bury them in the bowels of the earth."

He took off at a run and Rowan followed. They were, once again, approaching the high balcony where Targen had fled. That made Rowan apprehensive. If the Emperor flew out of reach and lost himself again...

He firmed his resolve. He wouldn't let that happen and he'd just have to trust that some part of him still lingered enough for this one last deed. They made it out to the high balcony and the city unfurled beneath them.

It was chaos.

Hundreds of buildings that had been along the east wall now lay in rubble with the entire eastern wall itself gone as well as a portion of the southern. Demons had streamed into the walls and only a thin line of their people kept them at bay.

"No...," Veritas whispered. "How could this happen? NO!" He shouted the last word and leapt into the air, a platform of earth appearing before him.

"Wait!" Rowan shouted, but he wasn't willing to be left behind this time and he leapt, catching the edge of the platform and pulling himself up as Veritas sped down.

Still on all fours, Rowan's eyes darted around the battlefield and he first saw two demons that were terrorizing their flanks. He could even see Luke somehow managing to hold out against one of those monstrosities.

But as strong as they were, they weren't the target.

His eyes finally found the Demon Emperor who was beating Gi within an inch of his life. The fact that the Otter was still standing was a testament to whatever Vitality-based Skills he had.

"There!" Rowan shouted, pointing deep within their lines. "THERE!" His shouting must have reached him.

"That is their King?"

"He attacked the city! That's the greatest threat here!"

Veritas snarled again. Rowan had to desperately embed his fingers into the stone platform to stay on as Veritas angled it sharply downward on a direct course for the Demon Emperor.