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"This is war. We cannot always foresee the outcome. Things will happen outside of expectation. That is what war is."
- Hijikata Toshizou, (Drifters)
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<(Omniscient POV)>
"Everyone put your wings to some use and break down that wall. Because if this temple doesn't come down within the next hour, then you might as well just surrender yourselves to the Queen for whatever punishment she wants to dish out." Angela announced in her roaring voice. She didn't have a clear understanding of exactly why she was allowed to raid the sacred temples which even the Queen avoided in order to not risk war, but she welcomed the change regardless. Her heart quickened at the very thought of finally being able to help Sera and the other anchorites from the corrupt and ruthless Hierophants who desired nothing but more power for themselves.
Emboldened by her declaration, the army of female angels increased the pace at which they were trying to break down the entrance to the temple. They had already destroyed the other six great sacred sanctuaries in the realm, killed the Hierophants in charge, and rescued the "miserable" anchorites being imprisoned there. This was the last great temple in Heven as well as the biggest and most important of them all. If they managed to win here today, their mission could be more or less considered fulfilled.
This temple was the symbol of power for the self-righteous Hierophants, a reminder for the angels that the Queen was not the only one with supreme power and influence over Heven. The faction had spent millennia exploiting the beliefs of the angel masses, hoarding mystical knowledge, keeping the male angel population locked up as if they were their property, and crushing any opposition that ever emerged against them.
But despite being such a powerful faction, they had always managed to hide their true strength while making themselves appear neutral and peaceful. That was the reason why even the Queen's ruthlessness and cunningness were never enough to get rid of them. She might not care much for the ancient laws that ensure the continued existence of the Hierophants, but she does care for her throne and is thus smart enough not to wage wars that she is not completely sure she can win. After all, she might be the only Arcangel in the realm, but the Hierophants just have too many mages and sorcerers in their ranks.
As the grand entrance to the temple appeared to be on its last legs, a choir of battle cries erupted from within, and soon a legion of angels who seemed to be neither completely male nor fully female in their appearances emerged from the marble towers of the temple while wearing dark priest robes and armed with ceremonial blades and staffs.
"Heretics! Purge the sinners." They yelled together almost like they were suffering from a fit.
Angela of course just ignored their words. And before they could shout more insane stuff, with a sharp motion, she took her sword Xiphos out from its sheath while the angel army under her command charged. The resulting clash was brutal. She was able to cut through the first wave of warrior priests as if a hot knife through butter. Being a daughter of Odin, she was too physically strong and skilled for monk warriors like them who don't even train regularly. Her sword was able to effortlessly slice through the angels' armor, flesh, and bones as if they were made of goo. The priests fought with determination as well, but unlike the female angels, they were fighting out of desperation, and physically, they were nowhere as good as their battle-hardened female counterparts, a lot of whom had been further enhanced by Atem. They just didn't have the same level of conviction as the warriors.
However, they still had one advantage which was their magic and at times, some of them were even able to push back the invading force using this mystical knowledge of theirs. One Hierophant even tried to summon a beam of pure hardened light to smite down Angela, but the false angel was able to react with a speed that was almost as fast as her thoughts. She used Xiphos to sever his arm in one fluid motion, then plunged her blade back through his chest, making the Hierophant gasp and fall lifelessly to the floor.
