Angel's Ascension: Strife (Book Ten)

Chapter 1: Preamble

A trumpet blared through the skies as a low hum emitted from the distance. Red covered the once gentle blue as darkened clouds swirled forth. The Nexus ship slowly approached the entrance of Heaven when a speck of dots emerged over the horizon. Hundreds of them gathered from side to side with the hum growing louder.

"What is that?" Lilith squinted her eyes when her ears twitched. She lowered her tail when a familiar scent reached them. "No, that's the horrid smell of sulfur and brimstone. Those are thousands of demons coming here." Her face grew pale as the hum continued to increase.

Lucy faced the horizon with a frown. "Is it because of Leviathan? I knew he was infamous but this is on a whole other level..." Her wings slumped before she stared down at the soul orb. It radiated with an immense heat similar to an oven. A blue spiral of flames circled the insides of it when a trumpet alerted them. Dozens of angels flew over the entrance with weapons in their arms. Trails of light filled the bloody sky while shouts echoed.

Lilith froze in place when beams of light energy shredded through the air. "They were prepared for this. It's like the wars my father spoke of." She soon shook her head and clenched her fists. "Hey, we should get going before they notice us."

A roar of fire rattled their heads when the dots now emerged as blimps. Hellfire blocked the oncoming beams of light while the angels closed in. Winged demons clashed with them with spiked clubs, blades, and jagged blunt objects. The blimps sped through the skies before blasting at the angels with firebombs. Suddenly a pair of massive angels tore through the gates and rocketed toward them. They held themselves like statues with a spear and shield in hand.

"Right, I was just wondering what Nexus is planning to do. I wouldn't blame them if they left amidst this chaos." Lucy said with her brow furrowed. She stuffed the soul orb into her pocket as her wings extended. "Hop on, Lilith. We gotta go find Senovisa and get my friend back before it's too late.

Lilith climbed on and wrapped both arms over her waist. Once they ascended, her nose stung with the scent of brimstone. "Wait! I think a couple is heading straight at us!" She yelled. Her eyes spotted a dozen winged demons flying toward them. They mowed down any nearby angels and avoided the guardians.

One demon laughed out loud. "It's them! It's them!" He laughed. "The traitor and the-" A blast struck him in the chest and sent the demon below the clouds.

"Go Lucy!" A male voice yelled from a megaphone. His voice emitted inside the Nexus as it echoed. "We heard Hanna's plea. Don't waste your time with these beasts!" He added.

"Thanks! I owe ya one once we return!" Lucy yelled back. She flew past the entrance in a hurry. The orb inside her pocket glowed as a whisper followed it.

A group of demons diverted their attention from the two over to the Nexus. Several blasts followed from the ship as they swarmed it. They hacked away at the cannons and blasters while people scrambled inside the ship.

"Captain Eren. What do we do for this situation?" A female soldier asked.

"Buy time. Lucy can rescue Hanna and then we leave for more reinforcements. This is too much." Eren replied. He stared out a window where blood stained the lower side. Angels were ripped apart and eviscerated while demons were torn in half and vaporized. Screams along with shouts, cries, and yells echoed.

The female soldier gulped. "Yes, sir. The twenty thousand soldiers here will defend the ship no matter the cost!" She hurried off to a control room as frantic back-and-forth banter began. Glass shattered when a demon broke through the window. Shards remained lodged in his chest while he licked his teeth like a rabid dog.

"Heh, I knew I smelled human when I came here. Your flesh is so tantalizing that ripping it from your living body makes me beyond excited!" The demon exclaimed. He held a massive club crafted from bones and flesh of various animals.