Into Hellfire

Chapter Seven

Coraline led the way into the End, Daryll immediately by her side. Jorge, Inorra, Allison, and Yün were close behind, and Daryll's Bandits brought up the rear. Dragonspire was visible immediately, a half-collapsed tower of smoldering rubble. The bodies of countless Endermen lay scattered about, and Vordus's body could be seen close to Dragonspire's central structure.

"What now, Cora?" Daryll asked.

"Inorra reactivates the crystals," Cora replied.

"What?!" Inorra was shocked that Cora expected such a thing.

"If we can reactivate those crystals, maybe these Endermen could live again. We'd have our army back," Cora replied.

"I'll get you close," Yün offered.

Inorra nodded, and the Elytra Fighter picked her up, taking to the skies. As she landed on the first crystal, she saw a figure rapidly approaching Cora. She screamed at Cora to look, but the Mercenary Chief didn't hear her. The figure got closer, closer...

Daryll reacted before anyone else could, moving quickly between the figure and Cora. The figure's scythe tore into his chest, and he fired freely from his rifle, causing the figure to stumble back. Her laugh afterwards was unmistakable. It was Azrael.

"Daryll!" Cora cried out, racing to his side as several of the Nether Horde's Demons came up behind the Angel of Death.

Of course, there wasn't much that could be done for Daryll. Between the bleeding and his clearly punctured lungs, he was basically already dead. Cora stood, pure rage visible in her eyes.

"Charge!" She barked the order, and all present obeyed.

The bandits charged down the Demons, their guns blazing as Demon after Demon fell. As Azrael saw this, she dove, striking down another bandit. Cora snapped. She charged forward, covered by Jorge's sniper fire, and drove her blade towards the Angel of Death. The strange metal that made up the blade sliced right through Azrael's armor, tearing a long gash in her off-arm. The Angel of death attempted to one-hand her scythe, but it was barely effective. Instead, she opted to use her Demon powers, casting fireballs at Cora and her team. The Mercenaries scattered, taking cover behind Chorus plants and jutting portions of end stone. Jorge tried to return fire, but the Angel of Death simply tossed a fireball at him and he was forced back to cover.

Azrael drew closer to the group, laughing her maniacal laugh. The Demons behind her had either converted most of the bandits to Demons or killed them. "Sorry to say, little Coraline, but your journey ends here."

"No!"

Azrael looked up to the last of the Obsidian Pillars, where Yün and Inorra stood, the crystal burning bright. "We're only getting started!"

As the Demons gathered around Azrael, the fallen Endermen began to rise. The purple glow in their eyes started faint, but quickly grew to full intensity as they saw the colors of the Nether on Azrael's gear. The Endermen let out their broken yell, charging ahead at the Nether Horde, their energy blades forming in their hands. The Demons attempted to fight, but the Endermen's ability to teleport made hitting them nearly impossible. For an unknown reason, the Endermen were immune to the Demon poison, and thus couldn't be harmed by any manner other than a lucky melee shot.

The resurrected Ender Watchers soon rallied around a newly risen Vordus, who gave a kind nod towards the Frost Mercenaries before summoning to him a staff that appeared to be made of Chorus Stalk. The Elder Enderman raised the staff to the sky, a spectral dragon forming behind him and attacking the Demons as they approached, its End Fire burning skin and flesh from their bones as they swarmed. Three were completely incinerated, and several more were so badly burned that they were on the verge of death. Azrael shrieked, charging towards the dragon with complete abandon. Striking out with her scythe, she ripped through its throat, its body dissipating from the damage. However, this burst of rage made her oblivious- Vordus was charging another spell the whole time. As she spun in the air, blood dripping from her wounded arm, Vordus cast a blast of arcane magic, throwing her into Dragonspire.

The Angel of Death recovered, diving at the Elder Enderman, but instead of hitting his relatively frail body, her blade clashed with fiery steel. Her scythe was locked by Allison's blade only inches from the Elder.

Allison narrowed her eyes, glaring at Azrael. "Not in a million years, psycho."

"As if you could stop me! You're just a little girl!" Azrael laughed again as she drew back her scythe and swung again, knocking Allison's sword away.

Azrael drew back for one final swing, but she looked up as she heard a firework. Her gaze fell on it just as it impacted her side, going off in a beautiful blaze of orange and red as the Angel of Death was thrown into the hard ground of the End.

Yün flew overhead, smiling at Allison. "I've got your back!"

Inorra landed gently beside the Shield-Maiden, fireballs in her hands. "So do I."

To their left, Cora and Jorge had assisted the Ender Watchers in cleaning up what remained of the Demon swarm, and soon joined by Allison's side as well.

Cora glared at Azrael. "We have a score to settle."

Behind them, Vordus stood with his ranks of Ender Watchers at his back. Over a hundred Endermen lined up and ready to fight.

Azrael shook her head. "Even I'm not stupid enough to fight this battle. Farewell!" And with that, she was gone. Vanished into the same particles that a Nether portal gives off.

Cora walked back over to Daryll's body, kneeling beside it. "You fought well, comrade. May you rest in peace."

"Should we bury them? The bandits, I mean," Allison asked.

The Mercenary Leader nodded. "It's only right. With the help of the Endermen, we can be done quickly."

Two hours later, Daryll and his bandits lay in graves under the surface of the End, purpur headstones decorating each of their graves. Cora and her team saluted to their fallen friends, and every Ender Watcher present mimicked the action.

Vordus approached Cora. "What now, Chief Coraline?"

"We march on the Nether. The Frostbourne need our help," Cora replied.

The Elder nodded. "We owe you. We will fight by your side."

Cora smirked. "Good, because..." she looked over the graves. "We have a score to settle."