34 A city destroyed
As the legendary group Darkness fought with Jaldabaoth, deep within the Theocracy, the siege was finally coming to an end.
The fanatics of the rebellion screamed in fury as they charged toward the city walls. Their warcry seemed to make the earth itself shake as thousands of men with plate armor ran with all their might with a single purpose in mind.
Kill the heathens.
The defenders summoned layers upon layers of "high level" angels, normally, such a mighty defense would demoralize any army, however, when the human mind becomes so obsessed with something, fear no longer exists in its mind.
If they die here, then they would have died a good death, and if they manage to bring some heathens down into hell while at it, that's only a bonus.
Crusader could be seen leading the charge, he rushed forth, and a divine glow seemed to consume him as he slammed into the city wall, causing a large cloud of dust to appear as he, in a second, broke the first line of defense.
The men behind him roared in joy as they watched him, with his divine might, slay tens of angels who attempted to slow him down, Crusader resisted the urge to scoff at the poor copies.
Rugi could be seen with a high-quality long bow standing back at the camp, beside her, groups of other archers could be seen, they all shot their arrows periodically to support the charge, surprising the defenders.
Rugi, despite only having normal archer equipment, still managed to kill tens of men every minute, usually striking at the higher-ranked individuals, causing chaos within the enemy ranks.
It had been a few months since the siege began, and now, she stood as a trusted member of the newly created Holy Army, which had swelled in size to an impressive 50,000 troops, each one equipped with swords and armor.
She didn't dare to fathom the cost of keeping this army going, not to mention that thanks to Crusader and his teachings, these troops had become holy warriors in their own right, casting holy smites and blessing the ground around them.
Kunral, Urala, and Frutos could be seen within the commanding tent, in the middle of it, a map of the city could be seen placed upon a large wooden table.
On the map, tokens could be seen, representing their troops and the units of the heathens they shall soon slaughter.
Frutos spoke first, "The breach has been made successfully, we just need to exploit it now."
Kunrad spoke second, "Rushelia is already on route to aid Crusader, though knowing how powerful he is, he could take the city by himself if he really wanted to." A wry smile came upon Kunrads face as he said this, realizing that they were not even needed.
Well, that is a rather sad outlook isn't it?" Urala spoke up, she then continued, "The healers are doing just fine getting the fallen soldiers back under the protection of the soldiers, so no need to worry about them."
"Right, good. Now, we can only continue the charge. Let's secure the first ring first, then we will move to the inner ring, and then, only the cathedral will remain."
The capital is made from three rings of walls, each one more formidable than the last, the first ring has already been breached and protects to common people, the second ring protects the clergy and priests, while the third serves solely to protect the cathedral from impure hands.
Needless to say, the battle would be a bloody one, but it would surely be worth it in the end.
As the commanders continued to observe the situation and send out new orders, the army continued to pour into the city.
People fought on the walls as angels were crushed into dust, their particles dispersing into the air as they were struck down with divine fury, the paladins of both sides squared off as well, each blow filled with divine might.
The streets were filled with blood as thousands were caught in the bloodbath. Civilian homes were set on fire during the chaos as the garrisoning troops were forced to retreat, soon, the fire spread through the city as large columns of smoke rose into the sky.
Rivers of blood filled the streets as the death toll rose exponentially, men were killed left and right as civilians were forced to run from their homes which were set on fire, only to be met with a sword to their neck as they were struck down by confused and angry soldiers.
Besides, these people didn't sabotage the city during the siege, they did nothing to earn divine forgiveness, so they too were heathens in the eyes of the crusade.
Soon, the first ring collapsed apart as the Holy Army cheered, though not for long as Crusader then slammed into the second gate, forcing it open with his raw strength.
Archers advanced onto the first ring's walls, now shooting deeper into the city and onto the second layer's walls, allowing for more accurate and deadly support fire, though they now began to take casualties too as enemy angels descended upon them.
The holy army continued the slaughter, however, they were forced to a standstill by the enemy, who now held firm against the merciless enemy.
Crusader did not break through even though he easily could, instead, he waited as his master told him to do so.
As the smoke filled the air, causing darkness to cover the city. As men slayed one another without care for each other, the sky froze.
Above the city, a humanoid child could be seen through the black smoke, its dark clothing and white hair stood in stark contrast to each other, as hundreds of eyes opened all over its skin, clothing, and wings, which glowed with white brilliance.
Both sides ceased their fighting as they noticed the change in the air until they looked up at the child, now realizing the cause of the change.
The Holy Army ceased all activities and knelt, even soldiers on the front kneeled immediately, exposing them to potential attacks, however, not a single one of them was struck down.
The child spread its wings, almost as if stretching them, it then spoke, its voice like that of a thousand people speaking at once.
"You have done well, my righteous crusaders! The 41 Supreme Beings have acknowledged your effort and now look upon you with favor."
As Thoth spoke, he did not notice the Platinum Dragon Lord, hidden within his cloak, slowly approaching him.
He continued to speak, rallying his army while entrenching the greatness of the 41 Supreme Beings deep within their mind, when he suddenly felt something behind him.
He turned, only to feel his mask be ripped off of his face, as he noticed this, he suddenly heard the sound of something breaking in the cathedral.
He looked, only to now see the cardinal of water holding a red gem, or rather, the shattered remains of it.
His mind clouded with rage, one he recognized as unnatural, yet he couldn't suppress it.
He turned to the Platinum Dragon Lord who had removed his cloak and now spoke with a voice of millions.
"You dare test me and the 41 Supreme Beings?! Fine!" His wings now revealed in their true inky darkness multiplied as his main body transformed into one giant eye, millions of eyes opened across his majestic wings, though not as majestic as they once were, they were still the wings of a divine creature.
The sky seemed to boil as Thoth stared down at The Platinum Dragon Lord with all of his eyes, and for the first time in a long, long while, The Platinum Dragon Lord felt fear.
"[Divine Ray]." Thoth spoke as he unleashed a divine ray the size of many buildings onto The Platinum Dragon Lord, who was sent flying backward as a result.
Thoth flapped his mighty wings and followed after him.
If he wanted to learn how powerful he truly is, then Thoth would show him his might.
The city was dead silent as Thoth and PDL (Platinum Dragon Lord) fought in the distance.
The Holy Army did not understand why the messenger's wings were black, nor did they know what happened to enrage him so, however, soon, they came to a conclusion.
Whatever they did, the infidels had enraged their angel, and by extension, their Gods, for this, they will be punished.
As the city's defenders stood stunned at the horror beyond their comprehension in the distance, they were soon brought back to reality as their comrades were slaughtered by an energized Holy Army, who now abandoned the concept of mercy or self-preservation.
Crusader, feeling the rage of his master, also went wild. He slaughtered thousands with a single swipe of his sword, destroying entire neighborhoods without care.
If the city was a river of blood before, now it was a sea of it as the second ring fell, reduced to absolute rubble, not a single civilian made it out alive.
The third ring fell soon afterward, and the men rushed into the cathedral, killing all in their way, they broked the fancy windows of the buildings and hung the heathens from the many spirals and towers of the cathedral, determined to show their loyalty to heaven by doing this.
The cardinals were hung too, their corpses at the very peak of the cathedral.
Priests and soldiers were hung later and on from lower windows, none were sparred as the city walls were soon too decorated with the corpses of the enemy.
The army stood outside the city, their grotesque offering now finished as they knelt in a large circle around the city, all praying to the 41 Supreme Beings for forgiveness.
Thoth meanwhile crushed the Platinum Dragon Lord with ease, his stats heightened beyond anything the Dragon had ever witnessed in his life.
Thoth moved too fast for him to see through his avatar, struck too hard for him to measure his strength, and his spells were so powerful he couldn't compare them to any others, the creature in front of him was the strongest he had ever seen in his life, not even the ones who slayed the God of all angels was this powerful, as they relied on their world items and divine tier gear.
Like so, in a mere ten minutes, as Thoth began to shift to his human form once more, the avatar of PDL collapsed to the floor, a mere hunk of high-quality metal now.
Thoth threw the Dragon Lord avatar's remains into his inventory, now, he turned back to the city, from which smog continued to rise.
'...What the hell am I even doing? I showed up to this country, caused the death of tens of thousands, broke more moral principles than I could count, and was careless, again.' Thoth shook his head, a small sigh escaping from his mouth as he did so.
'Whatever, let's just finish this already. I will need to take a break after this though, maybe I could hang out with Aura and Shalltear.'
Thoth flapped his wings as he put on his mask again, rising into the air and looking at the burning city in the distance.
'I wonder how many people died because of that siege alone.'
Strangely, Thoth didn't even think about such things up until now. He moved with cold calculated precision to make Nazarick as great as possible while also punishing those who went against it.
Only now did his mind suddenly click together as he realized this fact, nonetheless, he continued to fly.
Eventually, he decided to just teleport to the city, eager to wrap things up and take his seat as the new nation's ultimate ruler, however, he did not expect the site in front of him.
The capital of the Slane Theocracy could be seen, its streets filled with crimson blood, and the large cathedral, once a holy site of absolute purity and faith, could be seen adorned with hundreds of human corpses hanging by nooses, its tall spires and gothic architecture perfect for the sadistic art peace.
The windows were once covered in exquisite drawings of religious importance, however, now they could all be seen shattered and broken, from them, more human corpses could be seen hung by their necks.
at the very peak of the cathedral, fewer humans could be seen hung, one would recognize them as the high-ranking Cardinals and officials of the Slane Theocracy, the people meant to allow humanity to thrive were killed by their people, who in their ignorance considered themselves righteous and just.
It looked like something straight out of a nightmare, something only Demiurge could create, but this was not his creation as much as he wished it was, instead, an androgynous child could be seen, brilliant white wings extended from its back, giving the city a grotesque sense of beauty to anyone looking at it.
The city streets, once filled with life, were now covered in blood as families were hung from the three layers of the city wall.
Around the city, in a large circle, the Holy Army could be seen, each member holding the hands of their comrades nearby, all of them looked at the ground as they fervently prayed.
Crusader and Rugi could be seen standing a bit behind this large circle, Crusader had his blade stabbed into the ground as he solemnly stared at the circle, while Rugi looked away, her face slightly green from the brutal sight.
She had seen her fair share of cruelty, but such a barbaric and grotesque display? Never had such a thing even crossed her mind.
Thoth looked at the capital, a single tear fell from his eye as he now understood the gravity of what he had done.
He had killed hundreds of thousands of people, with not a shred of guilt he had manipulated the minds and memories of thousands, and he had become a monster.
His wings trembled slightly, and Thoth's eyes widened as he took the mask off.
His wings were now revealed in their true angelic form, glowing with white brilliance, causing Thoth to grab one of them.
"Why are you white now? WHY!?" He shouted, knowing too damn well he would never get an answer from them, nonetheless, he had to sort his emotions out somehow, and this was the way he coped with the immense grief and frustration now plaguing him.
This whole escapade had proved one thing to him, his revival was a mistake, he could never die again, for being revived once had nearly caused his personality to be overwritten by his lore and loyalty to Nazarick.
Not to mention the fact that he had forgone all morals to show the world the might of 41 Supreme Beings, what bs is that? They are just some random dudes playing a game, not some Gods, why did he think of them like that so naturally?
Why did he kill so many innocent people? He could have done this in a much more efficient and merciful way, so why? And most confusing of all, why did his wings turn white?
Thoth gripped one of his wings, the wings were crushed beneath his strength, and he immediately felt intense pain, however, he cared little for that now.
Tears filled his eyes as he messaged Crusader.
'Is anyone in that city still alive?'
'...No, I personally ensured that no one was left breathing, your rage affected me too, I apologize my lord.'
'Do not call me that.'
Thoth then cut the connection and lifted a finger at the city, "[Napalm]."
As he cast the spell, a large ball of white light consumed the city, and as it dispersed in a few seconds, only a large crater now remained of the once great city.
The soldiers now noticed the divine miracle before their eyes, they stood and cheered, believing their sins to be forgiven, Thoth only stared in horror at their behavior.
He had created an army of fanatical zealots, ones who will not hesitate to slaughter children, women, and men alike in order to earn divine favor.
Thoth messaged Crusader again.
'Take care of things here, I want you to become the leader of the new nation, take care of it.'
'Understood, I shall ensure the nation is worthy of you and the Supreme Ones.'
'I don't...*sigh*...Do as you see fit.' Thoth nearly slipped and said he didn't care about the Supreme Ones, but luckily, he caught himself in time.
He then disappeared, teleporting back to Nazarick, specifically, to the Alexandrian Library.
Shalltear could be seen sitting on a chair behind the counter in the library. She is wearing her typical Victorian dress, though a cute pair of red reading glasses could be seen on her face.
She didn't need them to see or anything, but they did allow her to read even faster, not to mention they increased the intelligence of the wearer, which she sadly needed, as she was told.
She had to take care of the library as Thoth told her to, and she took advantage of this by reading the various books it had to offer. She had studied the angel race in and out to find a way to help Thoth, but sadly, there was nothing much she could do.
She sighed as she put down "The Encyclopedia of the Divine" only to be startled as Thoth appeared behind her.
"Eh-?! Thoth!" She shouted, startled by his sudden appearance, though the surprise was rather quickly replaced with concern as she noticed his tears, puffy eyes, and white wings.
"Are you okay?"
Thoth merely looked at her for a second, not knowing how to deal with the vampire, so he simply nodded.
"I'm fine, you no longer need to come to the library to take care of it, you can go." He waved his hand dismissing her, which took Shalltear by surprise.
Usually, he would have been a lot kinder and more smooth, something like "Hello Shalltear, I am fine, thank you for taking care of my library for so long, you may now go." or something similar, yet now, he was basically throwing her out!
Something was totally wrong, though she hesitated to poke her nose into it, so she nodded and left the room, though as she opened the door to the library, she shouted up at the counter where she presumed Thoth still was.
"If you need someone to talk to, you can always come speak to me!" She then closed the door and walked out, though she felt rather confused.
Why did it feel so embarrassing to say that?
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