268 ATTACK OF THE HORNED
But the Deacon of Death was prepared.
He raised an artifact, its surface glowing with dark energy. Behind him, a group of mages began to chant, their voices weaving a powerful spell. As Dassa's magic consumed her heart, her soul began to tear free from her body.
But it did not escape. The artifact in the Deacon's hand glowed brighter, capturing her soul within its confines.
"The Soul Vessel."
The Deacon of Death handed the artifact to Sujira, his voice calm and measured. "Now, tell me… what are your husband's plans?"
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[At the battle for Sodom City]
The Koresh army retreated in chaos, their unprepared assault on Sodom City ending in humiliation. Lacking the necessary equipment and reinforcements, they had no choice but to regroup and plan for a more coordinated attack.
"There's still a way to salvage this," General Eoshomon said, trying to maintain his composure as he addressed Dassa, the Godmother of the Temple of Hera. "Our forces are still strong despite the ambush. We can wait for reinforcements from Debauchery City."
But Lady Dassa barely heard him.
Her mind was consumed by doubts and unease. "What happened to my shadow minions?" she murmured, her voice tight with frustration. "If something went wrong with the plan, they should have returned by now."
"Perhaps they were subdued before they could escape," Eoshomon suggested cautiously.
"Impossible!" Lady Dassa snapped, glaring at him.
"No one in Sodom City could defeat my shadow minions. They wield the power to summon Man-tier apparitions. Even the combined might of the city couldn't harm them," she added.
Lady Dassa's shadow minions had the ability to summon the powerful Hera apparition, the strongest magic of the Temple of Hera. It was unlikely they could be defeated easily if at all.
"Perhaps they were stopped by powerful beings or secret allies of the city?" Lord Eoshomon suggested.
Lady Dassa considered the suggestion. "Only the Temple of Assassin has the means to oppose my minions…," she said then paused before adding, "But that is not likely… those assassins are completely infiltrated by our assassins… it's not them."
There was no explaining the mystery of the disappearing shadow minions. So, Eoshomon changed the discussion.
Eoshomon raised his hands in a placating gesture to Lady Dassa. "Regardless of the reasons, we'll send scouts to the capital to request reinforcements, we need to deal with the situation before us first," he said firmly.
Lady Dassa nodded with understanding of the situation. "Whatever."
The Koresh army halted their retreat, setting up camp on the plains of Heaven's Cage. Soldiers fortified their position and kept vigilant watch, though it quickly became apparent that Sodom's defenders had no intention of pursuing them. For the moment, they were safe.
As night fell, the camp settled into uneasy rest, but the reprieve was short-lived.
"RAWWRRRR!"
The earth seemed to tremble as flames erupted in the camp. Dark, shadowy forms emerged from the darkness—grotesque creatures, part human, part beast, their demonic eyes glowing with malevolence.
They surged forward, attacking the soldiers without mercy. Limbs were torn apart, heads flung around like scattered pebbles.
"Demons!" General Eoshomon roared, rallying his forces. "We're under attack!"
Lady Dassa stepped out of her tent, her expression was incredulous. "Demons? That's impossible. Although this is the plains of Heaven's Cage… the Gate of Sodom Ruins was destroyed! How can demons escape into our plain?"
"Perhaps the gate was repaired," Eoshomon suggested, his voice grim with worry.
Dassa suddenly froze as realization dawned on her.
"No... this isn't coincidence. We've been lured here and tricked into Heaven's Cage Plains!" she claimed.
"Tricked!! How?" Eoshomon asked.
The demonic onslaught was relentless. Screams filled the air as the monsters tore through the exhausted Koresh soldiers. The camp descended into chaos, men and mages alike falling to the overwhelming force.
From the horizon, a towering figure approached. It was a demon with a human form, its presence exuding unnatural dread.
"Finally," the demon Agathae said, his voice smooth and triumphant. "As I promised, we have returned to the Realm of Sins."
Beside him a hulking demon nodded approvingly. "Indeed, Agathae. It seems you are more than just a vessel for our lord Bael's resurrection," Lord Argun rumbled, his expression unknown.
Agathae smiled darkly. "I exist to serve the demon army. And I will serve it well."
From afar, General Eoshomon shouted at the approaching demons. "Why attack us? We aren't the defenders of Sodom City! Your enemy is Sodom city not us!!"
The demon lord Harith narrowed his eyes at the general, realizing the situation. Indeed, the army they faced wasn't from Sodom City.
"This isn't the same human who opposed us before," he said.
Agathae gestured toward the disarrayed camp. "No, these are not Sodom's defenders. But we've been promised something better."
Lord Argun merely nodded stroking his demonic beard.
"Sodom or not," Lord Harith growled, his bloodlust uncontainable, "I must quench my thirst tonight with human blood!" With a roar, he surged forward, carving a bloody path through the Koresh soldiers.
The Koresh army, battered and demoralized from their earlier loss, stood no chance.
"Retreat!" General Eoshomon barked, knowing they could not withstand this assault from the demon army.
Lady Dassa hesitated but ultimately nodded.
"Retreat," she said grimly. The army scrambled to flee, leaving behind the slow and injured, who were quickly overrun by the demons.
As their carriage sped away from the carnage, General Eoshomon turned to Dassa. "What do we do now about Sodom City?"
Dassa's gaze was distant as she surveyed the devastation behind them.
"Nothing," she said coldly, her mind calculative. The demons were hungry for blood, and their thirst would not quench easily. With the Koresh army gone, the only humans on the plain were the Sodom army.
"Let Sodom's defenders deal with the demons. They'll face the full wrath of the horde. They'll destroy Sodom in our stead. Our mission is accomplished in any event," she added.
The purpose the Koresh army invaded Sodom city was to destroy the independent governor of Sodom city. Conquering and administering the city was a bonus. Now they could at least accomplish their primary mission.
Eoshomon chuckled bitterly. "That's a thought. Serve them right, those bloody Sodomers."
Though the Koresh army had suffered a crushing defeat, Sodom City now faced its own reckoning- the impending invasion of the demon army.
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