Dee suddenly felt the approach of powerful enemies and accelerated the destruction of the anchor she had been taking her time with so far. There were several powerful angels moving in her general vicinity, but two in particular drew her attention. The two had also increased their size to match the currently gigantic Dee, most likely because Empyrean couldn’t really deal with looking up to someone, so the three of them dominated the area with their stature. For most immortals, changing your size was not exactly difficult, as long as the change wasn’t too big. In this case the change was rather major, so the two had likely been forced into using a high-ranked spell to do so.

Empyrean had not changed all that much since the last time Dee saw him. The effeminate and delicate looking angel was still more beautiful than most women and gave the mistaken impression of weakness and fragility. Now that Dee had the ability to see his true power, it was clear that the man was the opposite of both. He was clearly one of the most powerful beings she had seen, which was saying something considering the company she had been keeping lately. The Morningstar had probably been stronger, but that estimate was hard to make without actually fighting Empyrean. Something she would likely get to do very soon. In any case, the difference was small enough to be overshadowed by how well their respective abilities were suited to fight against Dee.

The other angel on the other hand looked quite unassuming and stoic. He did not carry the power or the charisma that Empyrean had, but he was someone with seriousness and presence. He gave the impression of being a very direct and diligent person. Most of his body was covered by a simple white robe that seemed to shine with internal light and seemed like something that could not be tarnished by the stains of the common life. What little showed of his face showed someone who had lived a long and hard life. That life had not come without its scars and his face was appropriately cragged, but time had not turned the man weak. Instead, it had made him strong and sturdy. He did not have the power of a rank thirteen immortal, but there was something about the man that made Dee wary even so.

“And what sort of demon has invaded Paradisia this time?” Empyrean asked. His tone was serious but also held a certain amount of confidence. “I told the others we should’ve finished all of you off during the purge, but some of my compatriots are too soft. Of course you would try to take advantage of our moment of weakness.”

The wings behind Dee made a small flapping motion, drawing everyone’s eyes to them. “I think you know the significance of both colors. I’m not here as a demon, but as someone on a mission from a goddess who all of you have abandoned. But you are not entirely mistaken. The purge is part of what eventually led me here.”

Suddenly a small golden feather fell between them. It was one of the two feathers Dee had managed to knock loose from Empyrean’s wings as a child. Selvaria had kept the feather all this time. Both of them were still confused about how she had managed that, even considering that the man had been caught by surprise. “I should return that. It’s from your wing after all. Back then that was all I could do, but now things are different. Now I will be able to pluck all of them, one by one, and then I’ll feed them to you.”

For a fraction of a second Empyrean seemed confused, but then a realization hit him. His expression turned exceedingly dark and the twisted face lost much of its beauty. “YOU! I shall take great pleasure skinning you alive. A soon to be dead bitch of a soon to be dead goddess.”

“A declaration I would expect from the Archangel and Champion of Order. A foolish god taking a foolish Champion. And what about you Justice? How do you justify your betrayal towards the goddess that created you and supported your kind all these millennia?” Dee didn’t really care, though she was just a tad bit curious. Besides, she wanted more angels to draw close to her while they talked. Those angels that aimed for her would be the first to die, and wouldn’t be bothering the other groups. She was playing for time to allow the other groups to do their thing. Every minute she managed to keep the angels talking was a minute she didn’t have to spend fighting.

The stoic angel didn’t even blink at Dee’s question. His reply was also firm and certain. “And how long are we supposed to be beholden to the goddess that created us? She helped us and we served her fatefully for longer than we perhaps should have. Then our aims became different. Are we angels supposed to be the only race not allowed to choose the deities we serve? Well, we choose Order. And she feels betrayed. While I understand her feelings, that feeling is misplaced and unjust. Her recent alliance with Umbra only proves my point. Do not try to sway me demon. You will be wasting your breath.”

At the same time, the stoic angel made a small gesture, and Dee felt something happen. She knew that whatever it was, it was the totem of the Archangel at work, so it was likely his most powerful ability. Yet she didn’t know what that something was. It did not seem to affect her, which was something she would’ve noticed. The two Archangels seemed a little different, but she couldn’t tell how. It stood to reason that the Archangel of Justice might have a totem that had something to do with the concept of justice, but this justice at the very least was not openly displayed.

Empyrean also made a move, and Dee found a third figure standing beside the two Archangels. The problem was that the third figure looked just like her, and radiated the exact same kind of strength that she did. Even the Authority Dee was using was copied exactly by the armored form. Both Dee and the copy moved at the same time, sending a blast of psionic energy at the other, and the two attacks collided in midair, causing an explosion. At the same time, the two Archangels moved to attack Dee from the sides.

It became immediately apparent that the copy seemed to be a mirror image of her, moving just as fast and having just as much power. The copy also seemed equally adept at using her abilities. It tended to mirror her actions, effectively canceling them out, but wasn’t a slave to them. When Dee made a move that threatened the two Archangels for example, the copy didn’t do the same and attempted to defend the angels instead. That made the copy an annoyance, to say the least.

Luckily for Dee, the two Archangels were slightly less of a problem. The Archangel of Justice simply didn’t have the speed to keep up with the two copies of Dee flashing around, and Empyrean mostly relied on magic to fight her. Unfortunately for the Archangel and thanks to Croestia’s help, Dee was able to shrug off the attacks due to her resistances. Not that the Archangel was completely unable to get past those resistances, just that anything that did affect Dee was completely negated by the armor portion of the Authority she was wearing. If it wasn’t for the annoying copy that got in her way in every turn, the battle would have seemed much simpler.

The change in the fight came as Dee decided to work around her copy. If the copy was happy using similar attacks than her to counter anything she tried to do, then all she needed was to use an attack that benefitted from being copied. If she was unable to strike at the copy due to them having the same abilities, then she had to strike at the person who created the copy. Suddenly both she and the copy stopped and raised their serrated blades into the air in a rather flamboyant gesture. A nova of dark flames rushed out from the two, consuming everything in the immediate vicinity.

The flames of the copy were not the Flames of the End, though they were pretty close in effectiveness. Still, the flames the copy created were consumed and empowered the nova Dee had created. As a result, the explosion of fiery energy Dee had created seemed to gain power and all the angels that had tried sneaking closer earlier were consumed by the inferno. Dee was not surprised to see that the two Archangels had managed to avoid the effects by utilizing the defensive powers of Paradisia that they naturally had control over, but she didn’t mind. Those defenses had a limit and that wasn’t her main attack anyway.

Suddenly a cane-like weapon appeared from the shadows of the Archangel of Justice and a blade of energy penetrated his torso. He had managed to turn just in time to change a lethal attack into something that was merely severe. At that same time though, a piercing pain tore through Dee’s own abdomen. ‘How? The armor should have been able to stop any attacks, and I didn’t sense anything. Even the Morningstar didn’t manage this.’ A quick sweep of her power confirmed that she had the exact same injury in her abdomen as the Archangel had, and there was no damage in her armor. How could there be? It would take a full power attack from a rank thirteen immortal to even put a dent in the armor.

The similarity of the injury made her connect the dots. The power the Archangel of Justice had used at the start! Any injury Dee dealt to the two Archangels would be reflected back. Eye for an eye, or in this case abdomen for an abdomen. That too was a certain kind of justice. Empyrean and the copy of Dee were not about to allow the opportunity to pass and rushed in to attack Dee. Their approach was immediately halted by an extremely oppressive pressure created by the fact that Dee’s Domain had just materialized around them.

“Try copying that! I refuse to believe the totem of an angel weaker than me can copy my Domain and totem enhanced by four gods and the souls of countless dead! Let me see if that trick of yours works as well when suppressed by my power.” Dee growled. Her injury was already healing thanks to the power her Authority had just absorbed from the dead angels around them.

Dee’s specialty was the suppression of the powers of other people. There was no way the abilities of the two Archangel would work perfectly when faced with that pressure. Even now the copy seemed to be growing weaker. “Time for round two.” She declared.

“Indeed, it is time to get serious.” A voice sounded from behind Dee. A voice she recognized. Another Empyrean was standing behind her, and a third one was just now flying down to join in on the fun. She could also sense several more identical angels in the surroundings. “If one of me isn’t enough, then let’s see what happens with more than one.”

Dee quickly realized why the original Empyrean had not managed to contribute to the fight effectively. He had been using only a part of his power and had contributed mostly by providing the copy of Dee. It made sense too. Someone who could copy the power of other people was bound to be able to copy his own powers at some point. She could sense the power from the Archangel of justice extending to the copies made by Empyrean as well. This was going to be annoying.

-----

The bleak and forsaken terrain they were staring at was a stark contrast to the power abundant and resource-filled Paradisia on the other side of the gate. The gateway had brought them from a lush paradise to a desolate wasteland where even the air was filled with noxious fumes and a mix of dry red dust and soot. The ground was cracked and the sky was permanently overcast by a gloomy light that barely illuminated anything. Even the gravity on this world was higher than in most other places.

Despite that, Aurelie and Mit-Amen could see that the Fallen, who were already crowding around the gate and drawing in even more people, were not looking malnourished or weak. They were lean but they also seemed toned and muscled as if trying to reach some physical perfection. The look in the eyes of every Fallen was firm and ferocious, ready to fight anyone that came through the gate. The angels might have placed the Fallen in a place where there was very little mana to absorb and train with, but that didn’t mean there was no power at all. No place was a complete void. And absorbing power in the surroundings wasn’t the only way to train. These Fallen had honed their bodies over the decades of imprisonment, and they all gathered around the weaker members of their race, protecting them with practiced ease.

This purgatory world wasn’t empty. Many dangerous creatures stalked the lands, and the hazardous surroundings with the dangerous enemies had managed to unify the Fallen in a way that no cause or idea could. And while it was difficult to gain much power by simple meditation, there was also the old-fashioned way. You could kill others to gain more power. The Fallen had banded together and killed the beasts that would hunt them down individually. In a twist of irony, the Fallen on this purgatory world had turned away from selfish individual power because of the need to protect each other. Instead, they had grown strong together as a people. They were a clear example of the old saying: ‘Hard life creates hardy people, while soft surroundings create weak and morally questionable people.’ For a race supposedly dedicated to the individuality of chaos and darkness, they certainly embodied the principles of light and community more at the moment.

Mit-Amen allowed her own wings to materialize freely. Only a small group had passed through the gateway, and Hassan-i-Sabbah seemed content to allow Mit-Amen to take the lead. “My name is Mit-Amen, the leader of the Fallen that escaped the purge to the Assembly.” She declared her identity to the obviously hostile and wary reception.

There was a slight commotion among the gathered Fallen, until a small group of older and more powerful Fallen cleared their way to the front. “Azazel, you’ve changed your name. Why pretend to be someone you’re not? What brings one of the Dark Consuls to our humble abode? Has our exile come to an end?” One of the older men asked with a small smile before approaching Mit-Amen for an affectionate hug shared between old friends. The other Fallen also smiled with welcoming faces once they saw the man’s reaction.

“Forneous you old goat!” Mit-Amen eagerly returned the bone-breaking hug. “You should be aware, I left my old name and rank behind when I went to the Assembly. We’ve been through this.”

The man shook his head a bit. “You always were one to seek reconciliation and hoped our kind could live with the unsullied.” Unsullied was a half-derogatory name the Fallen used for their Angel cousins. Mostly it was used by the Fallen that had once been Angels before falling themselves. “And look where they threw us the moment they got the opportunity to act all high and mighty. Just because you want to throw away your responsibilities, that doesn’t mean they are gone.”

“This isn’t the time or place for that discussion old fool.” Mit-Amen cut him off as she knew the man would rant for hours if given the opportunity. “I’ve come to take you away.”

“Take us away? While I appreciate the sentiment and was joking about it before, the entire Paradisia is on the other side of that gate. Don’t try to pretend that the home of the Unsullied has been conquered. We will be attacked as soon as we leave. We have grown strong thanks to this crucible they have given us, but it has also exhausted our fighting strength. We can’t stand against the full might of the Paradisia. Not without time and resources to recuperate.” Forneous countered.

“You might not believe me, but the ‘full might’ of the Paradisia is a little busy at the moment. The Morningstar is already dead and Mercy and Hope have defected. Lumen is finally acting against the children she created so long ago and the Champion she has chosen, who also happens to be the focus of Chaos at the moment, is currently busy thinning the ranks of the Archangels further. The Goddess of Light is separating her realm from Paradisia! Nasir-Sin finally pushed her too far.” Mit-Amen explained in haste.

“You’re right, I don’t quite believe you. How can the Champion of Lumen become the focus of chaos? Not to mention that other nonsense about the Morningstar.” Forneous insisted.

“I was doubtful at first as well, but that’s just how far Nasir-Sin has driven the Goddess of Light. She and the Goddess of Darkness have picked the same Champion. I’m quite certain that the God of Order will be dead before this week is over. It’s been a very long time since I felt the power of darkness this lively and eager and the gods are already coming to blows. Anyway, the majority of our cousins will not be Unsullied much longer. That said, it’s not exactly safe outside either, so I need you to be careful. Most of the angels are focused on the attack, but we will inevitably run into some resistance. If we can make it back to Lumen’s realm, we can get away with the remaining loyal believers in Lumen.” Mit-Amen tried to reassure the other Fallen.

Forneous gave a small chortle of disbelief. “If anyone but you was saying these things, I’d smack them until they become sane again, but with you, I feel I can have some faith. Still, having us run away to the waiting arms of Lumen feels wrong on so many levels.”

Mit-Amen couldn’t help a snort of her own. “It does, but weird times call for weird alliances. Besides, that’s the only way out of Paradisia at the moment. The gates connecting Paradisia with the other worlds are disabled. Gather your things and our people. We leave as soon as we are ready. We don’t have too much time. The whole thing might be over within an hour.” They had already spent several precious minutes talking.

Suddenly a calm male voice interrupted them. “I’m looking for someone. Before anyone leaves this place, I will have someone brought to me, and that person will be killed.”

The gathered Fallen didn’t take kindly to Hassan-i-Sabbah’s threat. “And why should we listen to anything you say? Despite my imprisonment, I still have the strength to take out someone like you.” Forneous replied. Although this world had sapped his strength, he was still pushing on the boundary between the ranks twelve and thirteen. He was one of the oldest and most powerful Fallen alive.

“You might find it more difficult than you think, but that’s not the point. There are two things you should know. First. I am the person responsible for cutting off all the gateways connected to Paradisia, except this one, so don’t think I don’t have the ability to cut away this connection as well. Secondly, I have nothing to lose. I will gladly walk into my own death to reach my goal. I only want one thing from your people. If you give me what I want, you will have no trouble from me. I will even help you escape Paradisia. I want the individual known as Tarshishim.” Hassan-i-Sabbah explained calmly. In a straight-up battle, he would lose to the old Fallen, but he wasn’t planning on a fair fight.

“Who?” Forneus asked with a confused expression, looking towards the other Fallen for information.

The other Fallen conferred for a short while before a young Fallen girl stepped forward. She was young by Fallen standards and looked like a teenager, but she was still several decades old. She too was strongly built and seemed to possess an iron will to live. “I remember the man you are talking about. He was one of the traitor angels that were tossed here along with some of our kind that were found later during the purge. He and his cronies were in the process of Falling. I remember him because he had a penchant for young girls and he attacked my little sister and killed her. He did not live long after. That was during the time we were starting to find our unity. He was one of those lost to their base desires. I know for certain that his body was tossed to the beasts along with others of his kind. I took great pleasure in watching him get devoured.” The girl’s voice took a heated tone towards the end, and there was no question about her honestly. She had clearly relished in seeing the death of the man she spoke about.

Forneus turned back towards Hassan-i-Sabbah. “Does this satisfy you?”

Hassan closed his eyes and turned his masked face towards the gloomy sky. “Another one escapes my retribution only to find it elsewhere.” He mumbled. He had killed several angels he held animosity towards during the last few hours. Their deaths would not be noticed among the chaos and all the other lives lost during Dee’s attack. The only one who held these particular people in any significance was him. He had made sure anyone else with enough knowledge was long dead. “He was the second to last. And still, revenge escapes me.” He continued to mumble.

He was quiet for about ten seconds before turning towards the Fallen. “Yes, this is satisfactory, though not exactly what I desired. I will not hinder you, but I will not help you either. You are on your own. For what it’s worth, I wish you luck.”

Slowly Hassan walked back to Paradisia as the chaos among the Fallen ignited into a frenzied rush to gather everything. Once he reached Paradisia he walked outside to a nearby park to stare at the golden sky. He pulled out the necklace that he always kept on his person and he idly fingered the locket in a mess of conflicted feelings. He had found justice of sorts. Those responsible were dead, and some had been for a lot longer than he had known. He was good at finding information but there were limits. Only one person remained and the blade he helped forge would take care of that problem soon enough.

Still, he felt empty. Now that he had reached his goal, was there any point anymore? Could he even claim that he had achieved his revenge when most of those that he had sworn to kill had died at the hands of others? He ignored the explosions of black fire and even the tremors that caused the entire Paradisia to shudder. That wasn’t his battle. All his minions had already been sent to hide and eventually escape. Asahim would take over in his stead. Now he only waited for the inevitable. His battle was over. His family was gone, his purpose was gone, and soon he too would be gone.

Had it all been worth it? All those lives he sacrificed and used and abused? That wasn’t for him to decide. What was done was done, and if given the opportunity he would do so all over again. Perhaps as an atonement, he should seek out Dee and give her the satisfaction of a revenge as well. Perhaps she might gain something from wielding the blade herself instead of losing the kill to someone else.