Chapter 512 – Descent.

The former Demon King's speech was followed by an eerie calm that washed over the grassy fields like a soft wind. The man was a national Hero, and someone that most all Demonkind respected to one degree or another, so to hear such an impassioned plea made even the most hardened supporters of the rebellion give pause. They'd been drilled with the idea that not only had their Kingdom been usurped by evil, but that their people were being oppressed and led astray on a path that would see them destroyed by the Gods. Lockheed had intentionally refrained from getting into the weeds about the Gods' plans and their true intentions in his speech, but his brief mention of their lies was enough to grow the seeds of doubt that Akagi's arrival and subterfuge had sown. Seeds which didn't need much watering to sprout. While the common soldiers waffled most of the higher-ranking Nobles who had too much skin in the game to turn back tried to bark orders at their men. The professional retinue shook off the Demon King's words, the conscripted rank and file were a different story.

*THUD* *CLANK*

"What are you fools doing?!?" A Demon Noble on horseback yelled as he watched the troops around him toss their weapons to the ground. "Do not believe his lies! If that truly is our beloved Demon King, he is being controlled by the Demon Lord! Do not allow yourselves to be swayed by deceit! The Gods are on our side, and we fight for justice and the honor of our people! Pick up your weapons and march on our enemies!"

Much to his dimsay his and the other Noble's words were ignored as all throughout the ranks of conscripted soldiers, weapons fell to the ground as boots began to march, though rather than to war, they marched for peace. The sea of soldiers that stood before the Demon King swelled toward him as the peasant soldiers abandoned their lines, their Noble officers screaming at the top of their lungs to no effect. It was an awesome sight to behold as tens of thousands of Demonkin moved like a single wave before surrounding the Demon King. For a moment he found himself afraid that he may be attacked but moments later that anxiety washed away as they knelt in unison.

"Your Majesty." A Demonkin man dressed in hastily sewn together in armor, called out to Lockheed. From what the Demon King could tell he was a trusted man amongst the peasants and the looks he got from the rest indicated that he was their 'leader'. "We don't know anything about war, fighting, or justice... That's something far above us... We're not cut out to think about them kinds of things." The man laughed. "We just want our families to be safe..."

"I know..." Lockheed replied with a stern look. "I've spent my entire life dedicated to protecting our people, and there is nothing I want more than to keep the peace and allow everyone a chance live in peace and prosperity. Such is my sworn duty as King."

"I... Is that what you're trying to do now?" The man asked nervously. "The other Nobles say..." He gulped, nervous as the realization that he was speaking to the Demon King started to hit him. "They say Lady Ariel betrayed our people... And that we're going to be dammed to destruction for her betrayal and that the Gods are angry."

"What do you think?" Lockheed asked the man as his eyes scanned the sea of conscripts, the sound of Nobles shouting in the distance providing the slightest bit of amusement as they failed to control the situation, especially Kelira.

"I don't know what to think, your Majesty." The Demonkin man said nervously. "I'm not really the thinking kind of man. My wife always yells at me for that part of me..." He paused, trying to keep a more formal tone before continuing. "But... But I... I want to believe in you. If not for you, I would've been killed years ago... As would almost everyone else here today..."He said as many other peasants nodded in agreement.

"The conflict with Miretown." Lockheed hummed in thought, recalling the battle in the East a few decades prior to the Spirit War. "Yes, I remember now. There were raids and skirmishes on the villages in this region. So you were caught up in that conflict."

"Yes, sir." The man nodded. "We're all from the East, and our villages were all attacked at that time. We thought the entire area was going to become a war zone... But you found a way to prevent the war... We all feared being drafted and made to fight our own kin..." He said as the conscripts raised their heads to meet the Demon King's gaze. "You saved us, and we've never forgotten that... So please... Tell us what to do, Your Majesty." He said as the sea of conscripts stood up and snapped to attention, albeit a bit sloppily.

"Thank you for putting your faith in me... Truly... I promise that your faith will not be taken for granted..." Lockheed said before taking a deep breath. "SOLDIERS! DISMISSED!"

"ALL HAIL THE DEMON KING!" (Conscript Army)

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<Kelria POV>

"What is this nonsense?!?" Kelira watched in complete exasperation as the conscripted soldiers disbursed, her army evaporating without so much as a single blow being exchanged. "Those dammed peasants! How dare they betray me?!?"

"My Lady, we must act now. Lest dissent spill into the ranks of the remaining soldiers." An officer said as he rode next to her on horseback, noting that others were starting to question if they too should abandon their posts.

"Damn it all!" Kelira hissed as she bit her thumb in frustration, her eyes meeting Lockheed's, who returned a satisfied smirked. "That bastard. I never expected Lockheed to take to the field himself! And where are the Gods?!? I was promised their support for my ascension!"

{That dammed Halfling! He promised me direct intervention from the Divine, yet I see hide nor hair of even the faintest trace of Divinity! Have I been set up as little more than their patsy?!? Is this all one big joke at my expense?!? Gildra said that as long as I held this Holy artifact, good luck and Divine intervention would be assured! But it's done nothing but hum with strange magic!} (Kelira)

"Lady Kelira, we should withdraw into the City." General Hillmon said he rode in from the Confederation's lines. Their troops did not care for the Demon King and were thus uninterested in his words, though while there were tens of thousands of their soldiers in and around Zoltan, a large portion were either within or behind the City rather than in formation and thus they weren't able to bring their full might to bear at the moment. "The Demon Lord is here, and we've no hope of fighting such a monster. We should retreat and wait for the Gods to arrive."

"Dammit! This was not how things were supposed to go. Curse that Lockheed! And curse those stupid peasants for finding themselves enraptured by such an irritating man!" Kelira growled as she pulled up the reins on her horse. "We shall withdraw our forces into Zoltan. It's no fortress, but it should allow us enough time to-"

"Running at the first sign of trouble, are we? Quite a poor showing for one who's declared themselves the next Demon King. Oh well, you've served your purpose just by being here." (???)

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<Akagi POV>

"Father, that was remarkable! To scatter most of their forces by word alone is an incredible feat! The tale shall be sung for countless generations!" Ariel smiled as she helped the Demon King dismount. "I can see that even after all these years, you've not lost that which endeared you to the people."

"Not bad, old man, not bad." Akagi snickered as she watched the conscripted forces disperse, with most heading down one of the large roads that split from the main gate of Zoltan and into the nearby forest that surrounded the City on the Southern side. "Now I don't have to watch as they're sent through Marshal's meat grinder." She snickered. The Knights were waiting to make their grand entrance, and since Akagi couldn't help but indulge them she had Imp come up with not only some interesting mounts but a fun way for them to arrive at the battlefield.

"I'd comment about your callous disregard for people's lives, but that would be a waste of energy." Ariel sighed.

{She's learning!} (Akagi)

"Better to have me uninterested since otherwise I might start getting ideas and whoooooboy would that be bad." Akagi grinned.

{Yeah, you might start forcing them to pet you until they perish from lack of nutrition. The kitty cannot be left alone lest it chew on the furniture and everyone else be punished.} (Yumi)

"Nah, they'd slave away building monuments to the Catkagi, then be forced to tear it down so that they can build it again." Akagi nodded, ignoring the second part of Yumi's comment.

"Returning to the main topic, while my opening salvo was successful I am concerned about the lack of a response." Lockheed said as his eyes focused on the remaining forces, noticing some kind of commotion unfolding in the back of the lines as magic began to accumualte. "I can understand why the Rebels and Confederate regulars are standing around doing nothing, but was this not a ploy of the Gods? That they've taken no action is-"

"Oh, no, they're here." Akagi said as she quickly pushed Lockheed out of the way, blocking a thin beam of white energy that was intended to pierce him straight through the heart using her hand.

"Oh? I didn't think you'd be able to sense that attack. But then again, I shouldn't underestimate a Demon Lord." A woman's voice sounded across the battlefield.

"That voice..." Lockheed hummed as he steadied himself and searched his memories. He'd heard this voice before, but could not put his finger on who it was; though he knew it meant trouble.

"You two need to leave." Akagi said, her eyes laser-focused on a singular spot, the same spot that Lockheed's gaze had turned to a moment prior. "This battlefield no longer has a place for mortals."

*WOOSH*

As soon as Akagi finished speaking, a massive pillar of white light erupted from the Rebel lines, engulfing thousands of soldiers in its blinding embrace, vaporizing them.

"They're here." Akagi began laughing to herself as the entire world shook from the sheer quantity of energy unleashed by the pillar that pierced the heavens, flooding the surrounding energy with an unmistakably Divine energy. Though rather than the impotent and diffuse power that the Demon had felt before, this power was on an entirely different level. It felt pure, untainted, and whole. Ordinarily, Gods would restrain their power so as not to damage the material world, but from the amount of energy that Akagi could feel erupting from the pillar, she knew they were holding nothing back. This would be a fight with the future of two worlds on the line, a fight that neither Akagi nor the Gods could afford to lose. A fight that would herald the beginning of the end of this war, and finally place the Demon Lord face to face with the beings that started this whole adventure.