CHAPTER 44 | OLD ENEMIES

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Colonel! There's someone down there! Azyr alerted Rae as he spotted a form chained to the machine that produced the portal. Azyr had flown above the battle scene to peer over the stream of demons emerging from the red, glowing portal where he saw a man who appeared to be unconscious. They are leeching his life force from him. Azyr described the incapacitated man as he saw the black threads of energy leaving the man and entering the machine. I think this man is what is powering the portal.

What do you mean by that? Rae inquired of the lt. colonel as he sliced Genyr through a demon's neck, severing its head.

His energy is being drawn out and sucked in by the machine. If we can detach him from the machine, it should shut down the portal.

Recalling Orion mentioning that Aklys would be revived so long as Orion was alive, Rae concluded that the man being used to power the portal was Demon King Aklys. Though cruel, Hades' plan of using Aklys' endless source of energy to power the machine was genius. So long as Orion was breathing, Aklys could die as many times as needed. He would be revived, and his energy refilled making him the perfect power pool.

That man is Aklys. We need to get him away from the machine as quickly as possible. Azyr, Destil, Zetha, come with me. The rest of the unit will continue to slay the demons that cross over. After giving out instructions, Azyr Zetha, and Destil were quick to join Rae, and the group took flight. After flying as close to the roof of the underground tunnels, the four whizzed toward the machine while battling the demons who had taken flight to stop them from reaching the portal.

It was surprisingly easy to reach the machine. Since most of the demons that came through the portal were under Hades' trance, they were following the command to raid Dexys and did not give much thought to those who flew above them. While a few broke off from the horde to attack the three in flight, most of the demons were too dazed to realize what was going on.

When the four angels reached the machine, Azyr Zetha, and Destil posted themselves behind Rae and defended their colonel from the demons who noticed them while Rae observed Aklys' restraints. The demon king was on the verge of another death when Rae reached him. The colonel furrowed his brows as he studied the machine and its attachment to the restrained demon. The chains that cuffed Aklys' wrists and neck glowed the same red as the portal, and they appeared to be the devices that were sucking the Demons King's energy.

The object was clear. To save Aklys and shut down the portal, all Rae needed to do was sever the chains. But something was not sitting right with Rae. The whole situation was off. Reaching Aklys was way too easy. Why was Orion unable to reach Aklys? The four of us were able to get to him easily. Rae rose to his feet and prepared to call Zetha over to get ready to heal the demon the moment he severed the chains.

However, before Rae could summon Zetha, a voice boomed throughout the underground system that surrounded the destroyed Transport Tower. "Has the great Seraph Orion already given up?" The voice was deep and filled with disdain. Whomever the voice belonged to held great hatred for Orion.

As the voice sounded throughout the underground chambers, Rae knew he had little time to waste, so he raised Genyr and slashed at the chains binding the Demon King to the machine. The moment Genyr made contact with the red chains, a bright flash burst from them. Rae and Zetha shielded themselves from the blast with their wings, but Azyr and Destil, who were busy fighting and did not anticipate the blast, were catapulted away from the machine.

Rae put away his wings when the flash had died down, and he saw that the chains had not even a dent in them. This was evidence that the chains were the creation of a highly skilled demon who knew the magical arts that had died out many, many centuries ago. Such knowledge of spells and enchantments had been lost generations ago - only a very small number of beings that used magic were still living.

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