The Oharan Chronicles

Chapter 5: The Battle Begins





The demons charged, raising their blades high in the air, cheering in their raspy voices. Arrows flew from the upper layers of the Citadel, catching demons in mid-charge, ending their hopes for the taste of Angel blood. Rianna and Jessica let their arrows fly toward the beasts, and brought down a score each before they even came within half the distance to the Citadel\'s massive gates. Abbacus stood at the top of the gate, hissing curses in the tongues of both Angels and demons, his eyes burning with a hateful passion. He bared his fangs as a demon arrow flew toward him, and raised his blade, cutting the arrow down the middle. He passed the blade in his right hand over to his left with his other sword, and then held his hand out, and focused his energy into a tight sphere, and then used his telekinetic energy to launch it at the demon who had fired on him. The beast burst into flames as the blast struck it, and those near him caught some of the force, and were torn to pieces by the force of the attack.
Abbacus laughed wickedly, and brandished his blades, roaring at the coming legions. Arrows continued to fly into the coming army, and brought down a half a legion before they struck the gates. As the demons came within a few yards of the gate, Abbacus jumped down from his perch, and smiled evilly as several demons charged toward him. Three came at him at once, the first bearing a broadsword, the others carrying short, curved scimitars. The demon with the broadsword made a downward strike toward Abbacus, but the former Hellspawn blocked the blade with the sword in his left hand, positioned himself behind the beast, then turned, and brought the blade in his right hand down the demon\'s back, cutting him open.
\"Fool.........\" Abbacus said as the demon\'s corpse fell.
The others did not stop their advance. One of the demons bearing a scimitar lunged at Abbacus, but the mighty Angel swung the blade in his right hand at the evil creature, cleaving through his scimitar and embedding the barbed end of his blade into the demon\'s skull. Blood gushed from the beast\'s head, and washed over the silver-blue blade in Abbacus\' hand, Abbacus then hurled the demon\'s dead body at the other beast rushing toward him, the creature was distracted long enough for Abbacus to cut him across the chest, the barbed sword cutting through his sternum and impaling his heart on its end. As Abbacus turned, he saw ten legions of demons rushing for the gate he stood in front of, salivating at the thought of killing him. Abbacus readied his blades again, and cut down two more demons before the first wave struck the gate. Evil creatures surrounded the Angel, and he fought furiously, cutting down demon after demon, their blood covering his wicked blades.
The demons that ignored Abbacus concentrated on breaking through the gate of the great Citadel, though their blades became notched as they struck at the great doorway. Abbacus turned behind him and severed the heads of three demons in one strike, then turned back around to block the blows of two demons with bo-staffs. The battle had just begun, and he had taken two and a half score demons, and was only beginning to warm up....

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Rianna let loose another arrow, and it struck a lesser demon betweem the eyes, and she smiled as she readied another arrow. Jessica let another fly, and it caught a large Saurian between its ribs, and the beasts\' legs buckled and it fell to the ground, its liver pierced. The Angels next to them began to ready their swords and walk toward the gate, ready to join Abbacus in the battle. Rianna\'s oldest son, A\'albiel, readied his odachi, and began to walk away, but Rianna stopped him after releasing another arrow.
\"Be careful out there, alright?\" Rianna said softly.
\"Yes mother, I will be.\" A\'albiel said as he walked out.
A\'albiel carried an odachi, much like a katana or daito, the blade was curved, but over three feet long, and the hilt was two feet long, and a red tassle hung from the pommel. The whole weapon was almost six feet long, but he was skilled with it, and it had been forged by Oharas, and thus was unbreakable. On his way toward the gate, he ran into Honaffiel, carrying his long bladed spear.
\"Greetings.\" A\'albiel said.
\"No time to talk, we have to hurry.\" Honaffiel said as he spread his eight wings and took flight.
A\'albiel followed his example, and opened his wings, following Honaffiel toward the gate, and the battle......

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Oharas and Quadiel watched as Abbacus began the battle, and began cutting through Hell\'s forces with much ease. Quadiel turned his head and saw A\'albiel and Honaffiel flying toward the battlefield.
\"Oharas, look!\" he said.
Oharas turned his head and saw his son following Honaffiel and smiled.
\"We should head out with them.\" Oharas said.
Sandalphon looked on as his brother, Metatron, opened his many pairs of wings, and took to the sky, following many legions of Angels as they headed for the battlefield. Kia and Ardousir readied their weapons, Kia looked over her double wakizashis, and Ardousir polished a small spot of dust off her long-bladed scythe. Oharas walked over to them, and gave them each a soft, and loving kiss, and then turned to the overlook above the other eleven levels of the Citadel, and opened his twelve wings wide, and took to the sky. Sandalphon, Kia, Rianna, Quadiel, and Zaion soon followed him, and it didn\'t take long before they saw a threat in the sky. Twenty-score dragons seemed to suddenly appear in the sky, with riders upon them, robed in black and heavily armored. The riders bore long, black lances, and it was easy to see that the lances they carried had special abilities.
One of the riders pointed its black lance at Zaion, and within a few seconds, a bolt of fiery energy flew from the lance, toward the small group of Angels. The group moved out of the way, but Quadiel\'s dark hair was singed slightly. The young Angel then fixed his brown eyes on the beast, and beat his wings furiously, his ninja-to drawn. Oharas rushed forward along with him, and as Quadiel severed the head of the rider with his ninja-to, Oharas seperated the dragon\'s head from its shoulders with his katana. Oharas gave the younger Angel a small smile as they again advanced to meet the other approaching dragon riders. Sandalphon unsheathed his black rapier, and cut the throat of the first dragon that approached him, and watched as both the rider and his steed fell to their death. Kia\'s twin wakizashis cut the cut the throat and stomach of a rider, and then pierced the skull of the fell beast itself. She then did a nose dive to evade the fiery blast of a nearby dragon rider, and then arose again to cut the beast in half with her double blades.
Ardousir\'s scythe embedded itself in the back of a rider, and then severed the head of his dragon. The beast\'s blood sprayed in all directions, and soaked into the cloth on her legs. A rider came close and tried to run her through with his lance, but it broke upon her armor, sending long splinters everywhere, one piercing the dragon\'s eye. She turned quickly to see another dragon coming toward her, but it was too close for her to react. As the dragon opened its maw, ready to devour the Angel, a blade cut through its neck, and then its torso in two quick strikes. The creature\'s blood sprayed outward, and as the beast fell, Ardousir saw who it was that had saved her. It was Goediel, her youngest son, his jin-tachi covered in blood.
\"Thank you.....\" she said.
\"No problem.\" Goediel said as he flew off, and cut through another dragon.
Just as Ardousir rushed forward, Quadiel flew past her, and his ninja-to cut through a rider and dragon in one swipe, and then disemboweled a second dragon close to him.
\"He has skill...........\" Ardousir said to herself as she continued the battle.

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Oharas had cut down two-score dragons and dragon riders now, and had sent shurikens down into the crowd of demons before the gate, killing fifteen of them, and wounding many others. A dragon flew toward Oharas, and opened its mouth, baring its many rows of serrated teeth. Oharas merely held his blade in front of him, and as the dragon met the blade, it and its rider were divided down the middle, their blood mixing together and falling to the ground. Oharas dodged a lance attack from another rider, and then severed the demon\'s head, smirking slightly. Oharas then headed for the ground, but was met by a Chaos Demon on his way.
\"The mighty Oharas, it is a pleasure......\" the demon said sarcastically.
The Chaos Demon resembled a bear, though the hair on its body was black, with long, red streaks within it. Long horns were upon its head, and its hand had six fingers. The beast bared its fangs, and it brandished the blade in its right hand, opening its leathery wings wide.
\"If you wish to have your death, then I will give it to you.\" Oharas said.
\"Arrogant bastard!\" the Chaos Demon yelled as it charged forward and swung its scimitar.
Oharas rushed forward in an instant, and cut throught the demon\'s sword, and cut the beast across the chest, and then down the middle. The demon fell to the ground, bleeding and dying, and Oharas swung his blade hard, and the black blood of the beast flew from the beautiful steel. Oharas continued his descent toward the ground, cutting down any airborne demon in his path. When Oharas finally landed he was greeted by legions of demons, just itching for the chance to battle the Second God. Many attacked him, brandishing their Hell-forged weapons, but all were cut down, their weapons in pieces on the ground.
Oharas and Abbacus were close on the battlefield now, and began to cut a path to eachother, hoping to clear a space so that they could defend the gate. They finally met, and locked glances for a split second before the fighting continued. The two mighty Angels cut bloody swaths through their foes, but no matter how many they killed, the unholy beasts advanced on them, only to be cut down.


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Honaffiel pulled his spear from the heart of a rider while A\'albiel disemboweled its steed with his odachi. The two Angels continued cutting a path toward the ground, and were soon joined by Goediel, who boasted that he had taken twelve dragons.
\"I\'ve taken thirteen.\" A\'albiel said pridefully.
\"\'Tis only one more than me, I can fix that.\" Goediel said as he severed the head of a dragon passing above him.
A\'albiel laughed softly, and then continued downward with Honaffiel. The triad then saw Sariel\'s daughter, Eloa, fighting off a Chaos Demon with her daito. She cut the demon from crotch to the jaw with a single sweep of her curved blade, and the creature fell in two before her. Eloa turned and saw Honaffiel staring lovingly at her, and her cheeks flushed, and she smiled, her eyes twinkling. They were on the fifth level of the Citadel now, they had not thought it would take so long. The walls of the Citadel came above this level, and made it harder for airborne enemies to come through, for they would have to fly over the walls that only stopped at the eighth level.
A dragon plummeted from the sky toward Eloa, but she could not see it, but Honaffiel could. He readied his spear, and flew toward the beast, impaling it on his spear and transfixing it to the wall of the Citadel. He twisted the blade inside the beast, and then removed it from stone and flesh, and then cut the creature\'s stomach with his spear, spilling blood and organs onto the wall. Eloa looked at Honaffiel and smiled, Honaffiel blushed slightly, and then continued descending to where Oharas had arrived long before him....

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Oharas and Abbacus continued the fight, together they had already taken a legion of demons, and Metatron and his brother, Sandalphon, had joined them on the battlefield. Oharasu and Ayame had come as well, and were cutting through demons like weeds. Cain was battling alongside Oharas, but Raziel had yet to arrive. Uma was battling as well, and blood was already caked in her dark hair. Her scimitar had taken two scores of demons already, and Cain had managed three and a half score. Oharas had already killed a half legion of the unholy demons, and had no intention of stopping there. They fell before him quicker than any other, they were no challenge.
Two demons ran at Oharas with nodachis, and the Angel blocked both advances with a single sweep of his sword, and then slew both of them with one more sweep of his katana. Three others approached the great Angel, and rushed at him. Oharas brought his left fist on to the first one\'s head, and its skull shattered under the sheer force of the blow. He then swung his sword one-handed and cut the arm off of one and slit the throat of another, the demon\'s blood spraying over his fellow warrior. Oharas then ran forward and snapped the neck of the wounded demon, and then cut another demon\'s stomach as it swung at him with its rapier. A wolf demon lunged at Oharas, but he merely stepped to the side and cut the beast three times, and the demon fell in three pieces before him.
Two lesser demons came for him, but he cut them both down in one strike, and then spun around and cut another across its chest, and then thrust his blade behind him and impaled an appraoching demon. He then drew his wakizashi and slashed madly at the coming onslaught. Demon after demon fell in pieces at Oharas\' feet, and the cloth underneath his armor was being soaked in demon blood. Abbacus fought beside him and slashed wildly at a wolf demon as it leaped toward him. The beast was cut down with ease, and Abbacus then turned to face a score of cat demons, though these were not like the domesticated creatures of earth. They were huge, twice the size of a man, the hair on their bodies was blood red, their manes were large, and were often braided with metal hooks or rods attached to them. Their eyes were black, and their claws were like the talons of hawks, curved, and deadly beyond compare. One of them jumped down toward Abbacus, and was cut down mid-leap, while another lunged at him, but missed as the Angel side-stepped. Abbacus turned to face the demon and severed its massive paw as it swiped at him, and then decapitated the demon as it howled in pain.
Three others came hurtling toward Abbacus, but were killed quickly by Oharas\' katana and wakizashi. Abbacus stared in awe as Oharas spun only once and cut down two cat demons, and seven other lesser demons. Abbacus could not stare for long, for yet another cat demon came down upon him, and nearly knocked the sword out of his right hand. The beast pawed the ground before charging at Abbacus again, but as it advanced, he positioned his blade between the demon\'s jaws, and cut it clean in half.
\"Easy pickin\'s boys!\" Oharas called out as ten more lesser demons fell before him.
Sandalphon laughed as he heard Oharas\' words, and then took his mind off the statement as he drove his rapier through the heart of a demon in front of him, and then severed the head of another behind him. The battle would not be over soon, that was for sure..........

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Eloa and Honaffiel continued downward, and Goediel and A\'albiel followed. Demons had fallen to them by the score, and dragons feared to come near them. Honaffiel\'s spear had just been pulled from the chest of a hulking wolf demon as another dragon dropped from the sky and bared its fangs at him. Before the beast was even close, Honaffiel had already thrown his spear, and it punctured the eye of the beast, and the dragon dropped from the sky. Honaffiel dove after the beast and retrieved his spear, and ascended back upward. The small group of Angels could see Oharas and Abbacus battling fiercely against the army that assaulted the great Citadel, and Goediel gaped in awe at the sight of Oharas\' skill.
Other Angels were seen flying toward the front of the Citadel, and as the others looked onward, Eloa saw Raziel gliding from the top of the ninth level, toward the battlefield. Lucifer and Abbadon were close by, coasting down toward the ground, weapons ready. Abaddon had two large battle-axes in his hands, and his fangs were bared, his silvery hair flowing behind him. Lucifer had his long, black masamune in his right hand, and was speaking with Raziel. As Eloa watched in surprise, a strange insectoid demon sropped from the sky and dove for Raziel, and bared its many rows of poisoned fangs. Raziel raised his energy blade , and Lucifer and Abaddon dodged out of the way. Raziel and the demon met head on and Raziel drove his mighty wraith-blade through the beast. The demon screamed in agony, and the two plummeted to the ground, spinning in the air. Raziel pulled his weapon from the demon\'s chest and landed on the domed top of a tower, and watched the beast fall to the ground below. Raziel turned and jumped toward the battlefield, and opened his blue wings again, catching a large updraft, propelling him forward.
Eloa turned and noticed Honaffiel had turned his head to the top of the Citadel, and at the top, was a lone figure, surrounded by dragons, their riders dismounted, swords drawn. The riders appraoched the figure, bearing two long scimitars, and only after a glow became visible from the top of the Citadel did Eloa realize who it was. Lucius...........


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Lucius stood near the cathedral at the top of the Citadel, dozens of dragons and their riders surrounding him. They bore all kinds of weapons, kamas, daitos, nodachis, broadswords, whips, all weapons Lucius was trained heavily in. Lucius held his twin blades backhanded, and glared into the black eyes of each rider, smirking, anticipating the first attack. He didn\'t have to wait long, the rider bearing two kamas hurled one at Lucius, but he ducked and splintered the oak handle of the weapon with one of his scimitars, and the blade shattered in the air. One of the riders, bearing two katanas, leaped forward, diving for Lucius. He easily avoided the attack and slashed along the demon\'s stomach with both swords before it fell. Another came, nodachi and whip ready. The whip sang through the air, but Lucius divided it down the middle with the scimitar in his left hand, and cut through the nodachi with his other sword, sending the broken shards flying into the skull of the demon.
Lucius leaped over an attack from another demon bearing a whip, and then grabbed ahold of it and pulled the beast close, then cut the beast from crotch to eyebrow with his blades. Another dove for him, but was brought down easily, and one by one they fell to him until only two remained.
\"You\'d best run, if you do not wish to look like this foolish brute.\" Lucius said, jabbing a headless demon with his blade.
The two remaining riders merely cackled, and raised their hands. The dragon demons responded oddly to this, they roared into the air, creating a dreadful, lonely sound that seemed almost like the death keen of a gryphon. They continued these ghastly sounds for a brief period of time before a great shadow descended over the Citadel. A massive dragon, twenty times the size of any other, dropped from the sky, and upon its back, was the worst possible nightmare of all Celestials.........Sin................
\"Oh.......God..........no.......\" Lucius muttered to himself as the dragon descended, its rider holding his great zweihander high in the air.
\"So......this is the son of Oharasu,\" Sin said as his dragon landed, \"son of Johnifel, son of Oharas. I am honored.\" Sin said mockingly.
Lucius readied his sword, and in perfect time, as one of the other two demons attacked him, but the creature\'s blades broke against Lucius\' Oharas-forged scimitars, and the demon fell dead with twenty deep gashes across its body. The other fell dead before his weapons were even ready, a throwing dagger embedded in his chest, Lucius\' arm still elongated for the toss. What happened next stunned even Sin. Lucius\' blades glowed brightly, and he swung them both at once, sending blades of energy flying in all directions. These great blasts of force carved their way through each dragon but Sin\'s, for a barrier had been put up by the great demon. Sin looked down at the young Angel and grinned under his dark helm, gripping the hilt of his zweihander tighter, the kashira of the blade vibrating from his strong grip.
\"You are a well-trained swordsman, Lucius. Yes, I know your name. I am impressed, the ones you cut down were well known for blade skill in my realm.\" Sin said, looking deep into Lucius\' eyes.
\"They were weaklings, it took none of my real skill to slay them. Is that all Hell can produce? Is that all the Unholy Realm has to offer? If so, then I look upon you all with more disgust than I thought possible.\" Lucius said, hatred marking his voice.
Sin leaped from the back of his dragon, and came crashing down at Lucius, his zweihander cutting into the ground where the Angel was. Sin looked for his prey, but he was nowhere in sight. He suddenly turned his head upward, and saw Lucius floating in the air, his wings outspread. The Lord of Hell leaped into the air, and spread his black wings, beating them swiftly, lunging for Oharasu\'s son. Lucius dodged the point of Sin\'s blade and tried to bring one of his scimitars down on the hellish beast, but he blocked he strike with his Hell-forged metal gauntlet, a long, twisting blade coming from it. Sin struck at Lucius, but he ducked under the attack and slammed the kashira of the scimitar in his right hand against the blade on Sin\'s left arm, snapping it in half.
Lucius snatched the blade out of the air and attempted to thrust it into Sin\'s gullet, but the demon was far above him, beating his wings, racing toward the sky, and Lucius soon found out why. He heard a deep, guttural roar, and looked under him. Sin\'s great black dragon was coming toward him, opening its maw, longing to devour the holy Angel. Lucius switched his blades to a backhanded position and dove down toward the beast, carving deep gashes into its neck as he passed it. Lucius landed softly and smirked to himself as the dragon fell from the sky and crashed against the Citadel\'s ninth level. Lucius then turned, and saw Sin descending, and could sense the awe that he felt.
\"How dare you slay my steed! You dirty Celestial!\" he yelled.
Sin rushed forward, his zweihander raised high above his head, and brought it down on Lucius, but the young Angel blocked the advance with both scimitars, nearly losing his footing due to the force of the strike. Lucius bared his fangs and cursed in many tongues at Sin, almost roaring out his hatred of the Lord of Demons. Sparks began to fly from the crossed blades, friction building between them, the steel of the swords shrieking at the building tension. Lucius and Sin were evenly matched, neither had lost an inch of footing and would not back down.
Lucius looked into the dark eyes he could see behind Sin\'s bladed helm, and was horrified at the pulsing black aura of the demon. Sin stared evilly at Lucius, but could not phaze the Angel with the dark aura he possessed, others would have lost their courage, he did not. An Oharan trait.... Sin thought.
\"Do you think you can best me, young Lucius? Do you think you have the strength, the skill, or the courage to kill me?\" Sin asked hatefully as he lunged forward, attempting to drive the blade on his helm into Lucius\' chest.
Lucius moved slightly, but the blade still embedded itself in Lucius\' right shoulder, striking the bone. Lucius roared in pain, but tensed his muscles around the blade, and moved his shoulder slightly, snapping the foot long blade off of Sin\'s black helm. Sin reared his head back in shock, and Lucius twitched his muscles, and the blade dropped from the fresh wound. The two were still locked in a stalemate, but not for long. Sin disengaged from the locked blades, and side stepped to the left, his sword ready for an upward strike, but Lucius dove between Sin\'s legs, coming up behind him. The young Angel leaped onto the wall behind him and rebounded off of it, high up above Sin\'s head.
Lucius brought both his blades down, but his twin advances were parried by Sin\'s great sword, and Lucius used the force of the blow to rocket himself farther away from the demon. The two stood twenty feet apart, Lucius\' wound bleeding, staining the ground. Sin took up a stance, and readied his sword again, and Lucius did the same, his scimitars shining in the sunlight. The two rushed at eachother, their footsteps barely audible, but they stopped their charge as a deep voice yelled out:\"Stop!\"
A lone figure dropped from the top of the cathedral, and Lucius recognized him immediately.
\"Onatu?!?!\" he said, surprised.
Onatu walked toward the two combatants, his masamune drawn, the hamon line of the blade glittering in the light. But he was not alone, Odin stepped into the light, dressed in black armor covered in spines. Rattuku came next, his brown hair covering one eye.
\"We have business to settle with you, Sin.\" Onatu said, leveling the tip of his masamune with Sin\'s head.
Rattuku stared hatefully at Sin, the one green eye able to be seen glared at the demon, and he gripped his hookswords tight.
\"Step away Lucius, we will handle him.\" Odin said, gripping the hilt of his sheathed katana.
Lucius was not one to back down, and readied his swords, glaring into Sin\'s eyes.
\"So, do you think you can best three Oharans, and the grandson of Johnifel? Can you best them and the son of Oharas\' successor?\"Lucius asked sarcastically.
\"And the Oharas himself?\" a familiar voice called out.
The others turned their head, and atop the cathedral, was Oharas in his armor, covered in the blood of ten legions of demons, his swords sheathed, and his wings spread wide, emanating holy light. Blood was in his hair and smeared on his face, but his Angelic beauty remained. A crunching noise was heard as Oharas began to pull his wings under his flesh. His armor opened up, and his wings seemed to simply disappear, and no bulge was seen on his back, and the armor closed.
Oharas jumped from the top of the cathedral, and landed near Lucius.
\"You have done well.\" Oharas said.
\"Thank you, great grandsire.\" Lucius replied, bowing.
Oharas stared hatefully into Sin\'s black eyes, and unsheathed his katana.....

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The pain was too much. So many Incubi had taken her, ravaging her, stealing away all her rebellion and pride. They had not touched her daughter though, they feared her, though she could not understand why. They had bound them both to crosses and secured them with awful ropes made of twisted steel, cutting into their arms. They were dressed in tattered brown cloth, sewn by an old Succubus who had outlived her useful years. She didn\'t know how long she and her daughter had been bound, but she soon began to see clear sky rather than the tunnels and pits of the Unholy Realm. She could see a great citadel in the distance, and she counted its levels. Twelve in number they were, and all around there were demons, some charging for the citadel ahead, and some remaining where she and her daughter were.
She soon recognized this place, it was the Citadel of Anariel. This was a battle, no doubt of that. Angels were here as well, and even from this distance she could hear the sounds of blades crossing and breaking, and Angels cursing their foes in Oharan. As the demons moved them closer to the front line she could see one Angel defending the gate along with many others, but this one seemed different somehow, more familiar. Wheat-colored hair down to his shoulders, a cross-shaped scar cut into his cheek and brow. From here she could see a name tattooed on his right arm, she strained her eyes to read it, the name was Adrienne. The name was her own! It\'s Abbacus! she realized.
\"Abbacus!\" she called out to him.
Abbacus turned, and locked eyes with the one he had longed to see for so many centuries.