Archangel Michael
Armaloth
As I sat on my throne, marvelled at the crystal sphere that held my enemies. I finally managed to get rid of these parasitic demons. I extended my arm while holding the crystal sphere in my hand, and then it levitated and disappeared in a loud explosion of sparkles.
For now, it'll stay in the damned dimension.
“Thanatos, I have decided to act as soon as possible. I am not certain how much information Nathanael was able to pass on to his master. Besides, I don't believe they are expecting us so soon. My Alastor's' army must be ready, too. The horsemen will be involved in this, but I'll be the one who deals with them.” Thanatos nodded in acceptance as he awaited more details.
“You will be responsible to pull this. We will go to heaven once everything is ready because I have a lot to say to that Archangel. I want to know if he has the support of his god, or if is it an independent attack. But first, have a demon from each clan brought to me as soon as possible. It is time to name the successors. We need to have the support of all clans if war cannot be avoided.”
The god of death bows and disappears. The thorny branches snaked around me as I stood up from my throne. My arms spread wide as I rolled my eyes. I should concentrate on the energy of destruction. I opened my third eye and emitted a beam of light that transcended dimensions.
The lightning bolt returned, as well as the four horsemen of the apocalypse. The rider of death materialized first in front of me on his yellow Agalariept. Having emerged from the thick cloud of smoke with his scythe in hand, holding it high, and a human skull adorned his head. Also wearing a necklace made of humans skulls too on his chest. Death and destruction flashed in his eyes.
Immediately behind him, the mighty Hunger Rider emerged, astride his black Agalariept. The body of this monster had skin stuck to the bones. His face looked like a charred human face. A whip tangled around the neck of this powerful immortal. Those who had a braver heart would have been terrified by the vision.
And now, it was time for the War Immortal to appear, riding his majestic Agalariept. He carried his sword on his back, still dripping with blood from his enemies. The helmet on his head was topped with twisted dragon horns, and the armour he wore was made from the dragon's impenetrable scales. This appears to be his latest victim.
And finally, the immortal that you least want to meet on your way. Known as Pestilence, he has the ability to rot everything in his path, and his mere presence can cause death. His appearance is repulsive, his skin looks like it is flaking off. The white Agalariept that accompanies him is just as disgusting.
My four horsemen were finally in front of me.
They dismounted from their horses and bowed to me. One by one, they rose to their feet and swore allegiance to the supreme king of the underworld. Nodding my agreement, I began, “The heavens are interfering with our affairs. I have captured their spy. Along with the former queen, he led a group of treacherous demons calling itself the Council of Seven. They were conspiring to overthrow me.”
My blood began to boil just thinking about that.
“Archangel Michael is behind all this. But I don't know for sure who else is involved. However, it would be foolish of him to do it alone. It is for this reason that I summoned you.” They nodded in agreement, understanding what was going on.
“King of the underworld, based on what I understand and have heard, the heavens do not want the army formed by you, and the women. These beings of light are not allowed to harm humans due to their sanctity. It's for this reason that they're messing with us.” It was an apt comment from the war horseman.
“The best course of action is to attack us. Set up a rebellion within the underworld and allow the same demons to eliminate the human.” I nodded in agreement.
“The dragon demon warned me about all this, but I am not sure where he stands in all of this. Essentially, what he told me was that he had nothing better to do. Are there any of you who know anything?”
This time, it was Pestilence who replied, “Mighty king, the dragon will not accept, for any reason, that the heavens have an advantage over the demons. It doesn't matter what the posture of the great beast may be right now, simply he won't stand with the heavens ever.”
“Mm, yes! That makes sense, and it reassures me. I would rather not have to face the legendary dragon for any reason.”
While we were discussing this matter, It was at that moment that Thanatos manifested. Having noticed the cloud in the centre of the throne room, we all turned our attention to it. The demon Thanatos, along with seven others, emerged from it. There is no question that these are the ones that will replace the traitors.
The seven demons knelt down and touched their foreheads to the ground. All of them remained in the same position until I told them to get up, then I started, “I have summoned you here, demons from all clans, as your leaders have been accused of treason.”
There was an exchange of glances between them. Then one of them knelt down and touched the ground with his forehead. “Great underworld king, master, and lord, we don't know about that, if we had, we would have come directly to you.” He was sweating profusely, and I could hear his teeth clenching with nervousness. The other demons nodded in agreement with what the demon had said. To end their suffering, I said, “You have been chosen. You will be the next clans' leaders. The responsibility of guiding your demons is upon you all. Then, pledging allegiance to me and my kingdom.” In front of me, the demons swore obedience and loyalty to my reign.
The next step was to prepare them for the impending war.
“Thanatos will tell you what to do, so you can leave now.” My attention now turned to Thanatos after the demons were gone. “Whenever you are ready.” After Thanatos agreed, he swung his scythe, and a portal filled with glowing energy appeared before us. The glowing skull heads of my impressive and magnificent army of Alastors are there. They are ready for battle inside the portal. Stepping in, my body felt as if it were being absorbed.
∞∞∞
After coming out of the portal, my foot touched enemy soil, with my army following behind me. After just arriving, my stomach was already turning. The last time I was here, it was when we were banished to the underworld. The place has become more and more unsightly over the years. I do not remember it being this bad before. The air here is so pure that it is hard for me to breathe. Stepping into this place is like stepping into a war zone, and to return to my darkness, I already wish to end this.
As I looked at my demons, they did not seem to be enjoying themselves either, they appeared to be suffering from a clear blow. I gestured to Thanatos with my head to move because, in the distance, the entire horizon appeared to glow. I stopped and ordered everyone to do the same. The angelic forces already knew we had arrived. And kindly they are here to welcome us. I took the reins of my Agalariept and rode it. Together, we are invincible. So, I wait in that same place for the divine envoys to approach.
In the distance, I could already see their silhouettes more clearly. My army was eager to attack, as these beings of light approached. Soon, I could now be able to see their faces. It was a fairly powerful contingent, it was formed of most of the enforcers. Both in heaven and on earth, they are responsible for maintaining order. Among the rest, there were angel soldiers. So perhaps my presence wasn't interesting enough for any higher-ranking divine being to acknowledge me.
Those obnoxious winged beings. Those despicable archangels knew what they were doing, but I have no interest in playing their games. Deadly energy began to emanate from my hands. The power of the underworld is unsurpassed. Even God himself would not be so foolish as to face me directly. From my hands, energy began to radiate all around me; my demons became immersed in it, and I felt their strength multiply.
Suddenly, the crystallized ground we were standing on began to turn necrotic. The angelic contingent immediately stopped. And among them, an old acquaintance whom I had never expected to see again emerged. He took a few steps forward, and I had to decrease the intensity of my energy. He watched my army and, then, he paid special attention to the horsemen of the apocalypse. They should be on the heavenly side, not mine, but some circumstances have put them in my path.
“Armaloth, my friend, it has been a long time without you being around. I heard you will be here in heaven, with us, for a visit, so I thought to enjoy your presence. What has life been like for you so far?” Azrael smiled sincerely as he greeted me. Unfortunately, our story ended the moment I was banished to the underworld. But that's no reason to be rude to him. After all, he and I were always the best team around.
“Azrael, my old friend, yes, it has been a long time since we saw each other.” I watched him, assessing his power and ability. Yes, Azrael is lethal, in fact, one of the best in battle, and maybe he has even improved over time.
“Unfortunately, this is not a social visit. I have some business to resolve with the unscrupulous Archangel Michael.” Azrael raised an eyebrow upon hearing me say this. I don't know how much he knows about this, but he's not my target.
“Yes, I heard something like that. I am not here for anything other than to greet you, our past deserves a little respect, and for my part it has it.” That's right, the Azrael I know has always been a faithful angel.
“Always so true, my friend, but this matter is not easy. If I came here, it means that something serious is going to happen. With the darkness at my side, I have an infinite amount of power; not even your god can directly stand in my way. That's why he had to resort to these cheap tricks.” Azrael looked at me without expression, and then I continued, “You are a warrior of the heavens, and you will do whatever it takes to fulfil your responsibility. But for the sake of all of you, I hope your leaders heed my demands.” He nodded, understanding the dilemma, and then, he said, “Unfortunately for us, my friend, my god comes foremost. I will remain faithful to him, but I will not stop caring about you, Armaloth.” I nodded in acceptance of his sincerity. There are few people who can provide that.
“I must speak to that cheater, Miguel. Tell him that if he doesn't come to me in less than an hour, the underworld will declare war on your god.” The statement surprised my old friend, but that's how it is. He then stepped back and nodded. Yet, he left a contingent of Angels watching us.
∞∞∞
This place, the heaven, made me realize that it had been so long since I had been on this plane of existence. Here are my origins, my body, and mind were created from the life force of this place, maintained by the pure and immaculate energy of god. Everything is pure, there is nothing hidden, broken or corrupted here. You can feel and experience the energy of this place without being damaged by it. You are restored, purified, and soothed, rather than the other way around. Quite the opposite of my world, strangers cannot live there. Anyone will be destroyed by the underworld's energy in a matter of seconds. Everything good will become bad. Everything healthy will become ill, and everything beautiful will become ugly.
I am not in a good mood being here. I can't help but think that somehow this place was etched into my mind. We have so much history together that it will be impossible to forget it. Looking around, I noted that there hasn't been any change here; the floor is still crystalline, soft, and warm to the touch. There is a feeling that I am walking in sand, made of crystal dust. No clouds are in the sky, always resplendent. Anything you hide here will be exposed. But putting attention on my enemies, neither have the celestial warriors moved from their vantage point, nor have they turned their gaze away.
How would they react if I decided to attack them? My power is unlimited, these poor winged will disintegrate instantly. They were left here for appearances' sake because they can't fight me. I don't know why, it is pointless. The heavens are losing their touch, poor deluded, winged, holy beings. Suddenly, I was warned of many approaching entities by my Agalariept.
Finally, the naive one who thought he could challenge my kingdom. In the distance, I spot four figures. It was easy to recognize him from centuries ago. In all his glory, Michael the Archangel rests under the protection of his god. Despite all the time since I last saw him, his beauty has not faded, but I cannot say that the same would be true for me.
As a result of being consumed by darkness, my entire being is dark now. It does not apply to him, he still ranks among the best. Anyone who sees his long, red hair is always amazed at how beautiful he looks, for God made him that way. As are his green eyes, as if they were the very essence of nature itself.
He looks dangerous with his muscular body and lean frame. My knowledge of him is superior to anyone else's, and I know he is dangerous and potentially deadly. As a celestial being of the highest order, he is one of the best of God's creations.
A stunning figure with skin that glows as if it were made from pure crystal, he is stunning, possessing a placid demeanour all the time. The next one in command is Gabriel. The fact that he always does the dirty work shows his ability to solve problems with the slightest effort. Recruiting him into my ranks would make us invincible. He is the most cunning of all, he can entangle you without you even realizing it. Even though he is not as tall as Miguel, he has a powerful, indestructible body. The holiness of his life makes him in tune with the energy that surrounds this place. God's power protects him from all harm. If I were to defeat him, I wouldn't know how long it would take. That's how incomparable he is.
The other figure is none other than the mighty Uriel. Purifying demonic energy and turning it into pure and holy, is one of his specialities. There would be no demon who would want to bump into him. Like all of them, his beauty is breathtaking, with the golden threads in his hair looking like they are made of gold. I have never seen such enormous wings, and as they unfold, they captivate everyone who sees them. They are made of small segments of crystals, impenetrable and lethal when they attack.
And of course, Azrael, my old friend. His loyalty will always go to his god, despite our past. He is unquestionable because he was the one discovering Lucifer's plan and informed the god himself of our brewing betrayal. He can see right through the obvious, into the most intimate secrets and the most well-kept lies, he knows it all. Standing in front of me were four heavenly archangels. My horsemen flanked me and my loyal steed was always at my right side. Now is the time to take control.
