Devourer
Chapter 235: The Fire Burns

Chapter 235: The Fire Burns

Yael's breath caught in his throat as the Bloodreaver bellowed, its massive form wreathed in fire and shadow. The tents below burned instantly, the desperate screams of those caught in the flames drowned out by the monster's guttural roar. The ground itself cracked under the intensity of the Hellfire, glowing embers rising into the night as though the air itself had been set alight.

The nearby Cherub rained down fire with their Lightspears their weapons discharging in rapid bursts of blue-white light. But it was useless. The Bloodreaver didn’t even flinch. Its hide, thick and scarred from battles, shrugged off the blasts like they were nothing more than summer rain.

Yael took a step back, his legs trembling. This was impossible. The slums were dangerous, yes filled with sickness, desperation, and the occasional demon-cursed wretch but nothing like this.

The Bloodreaver was something else.

A relic of an older war. A nightmare given flesh.

It swung its clawed hand again, and another row of tents was obliterated. Charred bodies tumbled through the air, their screams already lost to the roaring flames. Those who had time to run scattered in all directions, trampling over each other in blind panic, knowing there was no escape.

Josah grabbed Yael’s shoulder, shaking him hard. “Move! Now!”

The Bloodreaver swung at the ground again and this time there was a large blast where the greataxe struck the ground, Yael ducked for cover as flaming debris rained down around the slums, catching tents on fire in every direction.

Yael barely had time to react before the shockwave slammed into him, sending him sprawling into the dirt. His ears rang, his vision blurred, and for a moment, all he could hear was the roaring of the flames and the distant, panicked cries of those still alive. He coughed, choking on the thick smoke already choking the slums, and forced himself to his feet.

The Bloodreaver stood amidst the carnage, its massive greataxe still buried in the earth, the ground split open in jagged, burning fissures where the strike had landed. The air shimmered with heat, distorting the towering figure of the demon as it slowly straightened, the red glow of its eyes locked onto the devastation it had wrought.

Yael turned, grabbing Josah’s arm as he stumbled forward. “We…we have to go!”

Josah didn’t argue. The two of them bolted through the wreckage, dodging flaming wreckage and sprinting past scorched bodies that had been alive mere moments ago.

He looked behind him and saw a squad of Silver Maidens engaging the demon. Their silver forms flitted around the Bloodreaver. They were landing hits, but the Bloodreaver did not go down easily. Yael risked another glance over his shoulder, his breath catching as he saw the Silver Maidens locked in battle with the Bloodreaver. Their silvered armor gleamed in the firelight, their movements blurs of speed and precision as they weaved around the massive demon, striking with enchanted blades that shimmered with holy energy.

They were fast, blindingly fast. But the Bloodreaver was faster.

One of the Maidens darted in for an attack, her blade slicing across the Bloodreaver’s thick hide. Sparks flew where metal met flesh, a streak of dark, steaming blood following the cut. But the demon didn’t falter. It snarled, its burning eyes flaring with fury as it swung its greataxe in a wide, sweeping arc.

Yael barely had time to register the movement before one of the Maidens was caught mid-flight.

The axe connected with her and the impact sent her hurtling through the air like a broken doll, crashing through a smoldering tent before skidding to a lifeless halt in the dirt.

A Silver Maiden, dead in an instant.

Yael’s stomach lurched. The Silver Maidens were supposed to be the best, elite warriors trained for battles just like this, but, even they were struggling.

The remaining Maidens pressed on, shifting their approach. They weren’t reckless. Now they were coordinating, moving in tighter formations, forcing the Bloodreaver to turn, to react, to defend.

But the Bloodreaver wasn’t just strong, it was relentless. Every attack it endured only seemed to make it more furious. The ground trembled as it swung again, tearing through burning debris, shattering stone, reducing the battlefield to ruin with every motion.

“Yael, keep moving!” Josah’s voice snapped him out of it, and he turned back toward the safety zone.

The Silver Maidens were buying time, but for how long? The Bloodreaver had already killed one of them in a single blow. How many more could it take before reinforcements arrived?

One of the Confessor joined the fray but he was soon struck down as well. His body being shot into the distance with one impatient swing of the Bloodreavers axe.

Yael’s blood ran cold. The more the Bloodreaver was wounded, the stronger it became. There were some demons that thrived on pain, their rage fueling them like a furnace. But to see it in front of him, to watch it grow more ferocious with every strike it took, this was something else entirely.

“BLOOD! KILL!” the Bloodreaver roared, its voice like thunder crashing against the earth. It swung again, its massive greataxe carving through the air in a blur of deadly force. A Silver Maiden twisted just in time, narrowly dodging what would have been a killing blow. She landed, pivoted, and slashed at its leg, another hit, another wound.

But it didn’t slow the monster down.

It made it worse.

“MOUNTAINS OF CORPSES! LORD SATAN DEMANDS IT!” the Bloodreaver howled, its voice thick with madness, the words shaking Yael to his core.

Then, it breathed fire.

A torrent of blackened, unholy flames erupted from its maw, cascading over the slums below. The fire spread like a living thing, swallowing the tents, devouring everything in its path. The screams of the refugees reached a new pitch, raw, desperate, filled with agony.

Yael paused as he heard the screams, the primal terror within him receeded for a moment.

“We have to go back!” he gasped, turning to Josah. “There are still people down there!”

Josah’s face was pale, his grip tightening on his rifle. “Yael, listen to me! You go back down there, and you die with them!”

He saw a child running through the flames, their tiny form barely visible through the smoke. He saw a mother stumbling after them, her clothes ablaze, her screams swallowed by the inferno.

And he saw the Bloodreaver standing above it all, reveling in the chaos.

Yael gulped as he looked on and he made his decision. “I know.” Yael said.

“Get back to the safety zone. They are going to need you.” Yael said.

Josah stopped to stare at him, a creeping unease filling his gaze, “What you doing?”

“Go.” Yael said as he began running towards the demon, shortly after he heard Josah’s footsteps pounding behind him.

“ARGH! I THOUGHT YOU ANGELS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE SMART!” Josah roared as he followed after him.

“Not an angel!” Yael yelled over his shoulder as the pair moved into the burning ruins.

Yael stopped as he dragged a whimpering child off the ground, his back was horribly burnt, his mother was limp on the floor next to him. Josah looked down and grimaced as he saw the state of her back. The fire had flayed the flesh from her back and he could see her ribs.

“Yael! This one’s still alive!” Josah shouted and Yael casted a quick healing spell on the boy and he gasped before breaking down into sobs. Yael rushed over and healed the mother as well, this one took more power but it was something he could manage. He watched as the horrid wound stitch itself back together and the woman groaned as her eyes opened wearily.

“Take your son, and run.” Josah said as he shook her awake. The woman realising where she was nodded frantically. She shouted a desperate thank you before grabbed her son in her arms and running off.

Yael has found over the months that his constant use of healing magic has surprisingly made him stronger. His pool of mana has gone up significantly and now he could cast spells for much longer than before.

“If we survive this, think you could teach me how to do that?” Josah asked dryly.

“Yeah sure. Why not?” Yael replied as the pair turned to see the demon barely miss another Silver Maiden.

“So I assume we aren’t fighting that thing?” Josah said just as the Demon hit another regular Angel soldier. The Angel’s body went slamming into ground, kicking up a large cloud of dust and scattering debris in all directions.

Yael heard more crying and screams nearby and he moved forward with Josah close behind. Yale and Josah moved, with Yael healing and Josah checking if any were still alive. All the while the desperate battle raged in the background as the Angels clashed with the Wrath Bloodreaver.

Yael’s breath came in ragged gasps as he pushed forward, his hands already glowing with soft, golden light as he reached for the nearest wounded. The divine warmth of his healing magic seeped into their flesh, closing burns, mending torn skin, but it couldn’t bring back the dead.

Beside him, Josah worked quickly, his rifle slung over his shoulder as he knelt to check pulses, feeling for any sign of life. Some were still breathing, barely clinging on. Others had already gone cold, their bodies twisted in agony from the Bloodreaver’s fire.

Yael moved to another survivor, a young woman covered in burns, clutching a limp child in her arms. Tears streaked through the soot on her face as she rocked back and forth, whispering frantic prayers.

“Please, please, save him!” she begged, her eyes wide with desperation.

Yael pressed two fingers against the child’s neck, searching for any sign of life. His heart clenched. Nothing.

“Yael, we have to keep moving!” Josah called out, dragging a barely conscious man from the debris.

But Yael couldn’t look away from the mother. He saw the moment she realized the truth the moment her last sliver of hope was crushed. Her grip tightened around the child, her body wracked with silent sobs.

He didn’t have time to grieve. None of them did.

A thunderous crash shook the ground, sending a fresh wave of smoke and embers into the air.

Yael turned toward the battle.

The Wrath Bloodreaver roared, swinging its massive greataxe in a deadly arc. Another explosion rocked the earth, and Yael shielded his eyes as a fallen Angel crashed into a ruined building, sending debris scattering.

Josah swore under his breath. “This fight is getting worse. We need to get these people out of here!”

Yael nodded, turning back to the wounded. He knew the battle was beyond them. But here, in the ashes and ruin, they could still save lives.

Then he spotted a streak of silver dart towards the Demon, this was fast, faster than even Silver Maidens. It moved in irregular patterns and it was clear that the Bloodreaver couldn’t keep up. It darted in and out of the fight, each time drawing blood from the Bloodreaver.

The other Angels pressed the attack and soon the battle started to turn. The silver streak darted under one blow and shot right up past the demon’s arm. There was a spray of black burning blood as the demon’s arm weakened and it bellowed out a roar of rage.

The silver blur paused in mid air for a moment and Yael got a good look at who that angel was.

Ariel Heseiva…

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.♚.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

Ariel calmly dodged another swing from the Bloodreaver. She was now fast, faster than most of her peers. This fact was both a point of pride and also shame. The Great Beast had healed her wings, and for the Seraphim, their wings were a conduit for their power.

When she next took flight she noticed the difference immediately, her speed was so much faster and she was several times more maneuvarable. It was common knowledge that the Old Gods, in their infinite cruelty and malice instructed the Watchers to make the humanoids wither over time unless the Watchers intervened every few centuries. It was a final deterrant that was made known to all the humanoid races. But as history has shown the rebellion occurred anyway.

The Great Beast would not be able to restore her race, but with his skills of flesh crafting it seems he could fix her wings. Ariel could not see this as anything other than a gift, so she worked herself raw in training, practicing sparing and flight.

Now she was probably one of the best fliers in the high heavens, she could take almost impossible turns and it seems her training was paying off.

However, a limitation persisted: she could not do enough damage. Yes, her increased speed significantly improved her cutting power, and with her spells, she could do damage. But Bloodreavers were tough. They were made to wade through enemy lines, destroying everything in their wake.

The Bloodreaver took another swing that Ariel easily avoided.

This time, she countered.

With a sharp snap of her wings, she propelled herself downward in a tight spiral, her blade igniting with celestial fire as she slashed across the demon’s exposed flank. A spray of dark, steaming blood erupted from the wound, sizzling as it hit the scorched earth below.

The Bloodreaver snarled, its massive head snapping toward her with burning, pupil-less eyes. It barely seemed to register the pain, only the insult.

"YES! FIGHT! DIE!" it bellowed, twisting faster than Ariel expected. Ariel could just barely pick up this sense of perverted joy in the demon’s voice as it swung its greataxe.

The backhanded swing came within inches of her, the sheer force of it splitting the air like a thunderclap. She banked hard to the right, twisting her body just in time, feeling the heat of the blow rush past her feathers.

Ariel knew better than to engage in a direct clash, a Bloodreaver was a force of destruction incarnate, built to tear through entire battalions. Even her enhanced speed meant little if she couldn’t inflict enough damage to matter.

She needed more precision.

She veered back up into the smoke-filled sky, staying just outside of the Bloodreaver’s immediate reach. The other Silver Maidens were engaging on the ground, slashing at the demon’s towering legs, trying to cripple it, but it wasn’t enough.

Ariel had to aim higher.

With a deep breath, she flexed her wings and dove.

Faster.

The air roared in her ears, the winds curling around her as she tucked herself into the descent. Her blade shimmered brighter, runes flaring along its surface. The Bloodreaver saw her coming and opened its mouth, a surge of black Hellfire building in its throat.

Ariel twisted mid-flight, her wings angling just right as she curved at the last second.

Instead of striking the demon’s chest, she rolled sideways, carving her sword along its neck.

The Bloodreaver choked, its Hellfire spilling out prematurely, the flames burning wildly and unfocused.

That was a wound it felt.

It stumbled, its massive claws grasping at its throat, black ichor gushing down its chest. It wasn’t fatal, not even close, but it had left a mark.

Ariel didn’t stop. She rocketed upward again, flipping over herself in a wide arc before diving for another pass.

The Bloodreaver lunged, not swinging wildly this time, but anticipating.

A massive fist shot up just as Ariel came in for her second strike, she twisted at the last moment, but the shockwave from the blow sent her tumbling.

Her flight faltered.

The Bloodreaver turned its entire body with monstrous speed, bringing the greataxe around in a brutal, spinning arc.

Ariel’s instincts screamed.

Too close.

She pumped her wings with everything she had, throwing herself backward and then there was a flash of light. Ariel barely had time to register the flash of radiant light before she saw her.

Archangel Silvana.

The legend herself.

Silvana stood between her and the Bloodreaver, her bare hands gripping the massive greataxe’s blade as if it were nothing but a child’s toy. Sparks of divine energy crackled around her fingers.

“Tsk, you all need retraining.” Silvana spat, her golden eyes flashing with irritation.

Then, with one mighty shove, she sent the Bloodreaver stumbling backward, a creature nearly the size of a war tower, thrown off balance by a single push.

Ariel hovered in place, barely able to process what she was witnessing. The Bloodreaver let out a guttural snarl, bracing itself, its wounds still steaming with dark ichor. Even injured, even staggered, it was still a force of destruction.

But Silvana was already moving.

She raised a hand, her wings flaring behind her in an explosion of divine radiance. Instantly, dozens of massive, glowing ether swords materialized in the air, their white-hot edges humming with raw celestial power.

The Bloodreaver had only a moment to react.

It lunged, its muscles coiling like a beast preparing to strike…

The swords shot forward all at once, streaking through the air like holy meteors.

Ariel barely saw the impact. The Bloodreaver roared in agony as blade after blade pierced its flesh, impaling it from every angle. The massive creature lurched, its body twisting as it struggled, but the divine swords held fast, anchoring it in place.

For the first time since the battle began, it was truly helpless.

Silvana exhaled sharply, shaking her head. “Pathetic.”

She flicked a single finger.

A streak of pure white light shot forward, shaped like a razor-thin energy blade.

It sliced through the air through the Bloodreaver’s neck, and then it was over.

The Bloodreaver froze. Its monstrous body shuddered, the last remnants of its unholy strength draining away.

A second later, its head toppled from its shoulders, crashing into the ruined ground with a deafening thud.

Its body followed soon after.

For a moment, there was only silence.

Then, as the Bloodreaver's corpse began to dissolve into black mist, Silvana turned toward Ariel, her golden gaze locking onto her.

Instantly the other angles flew to flock around Silvana, all of them muttering words of reverance and thanks.

Silvana said nothing at first she just looked around her at the mix of regular Angels, Silver Maidens, Inquisitors and Confessors. Then she shifted her gaze back to Ariel.

“Good to see at least one of you can stand their own.” Silvana said and every other Angel flinched as if struck.

“I will send commendations of your good service to your Father.” Silvana said evenly and Ariel muttered a quick word of thanks.

“As for the rest of you, get out of my sight. If you lack the strength to fight the enemies of Heaven, then at least go clean up this mess…” Silvana spat and the other Angels trembled agains at her razor sharp words.

“Except all of you…” Silvana added as she shot a glance at the Confessors.

“High Confessor, PRESENT YOURSELF!” Silvana barked and the High Confessor himself floated forward, his usual calm and self assured demanour long gone in the face of an Archangel.

Silvana reached forward and grabbed the front of his armour. Her fingers easily warping the enchanted plate.

“I see one of your Confessors is dead.” Silvana said coldly her gaze burrowing into the faceless helm.

“Yes… Archangel…” the High Confessor replied softly.

“Yesterday it was weak Lust Demons, today its a Wrath Bloodreaver. How is it that the situation manages to deteriorate under your purview?” Silvana hissed, and the High Confessor just muttered another weak apology.

“I have half mind to have all of you dragged before the Divine Council.” Silvana spat and the other Confessors visibly trembled.

“Your weakness disgusts me, your failure disgusts me more. Remind me what are you good for besides brutalising these pathetic humans?” Silvana said and the High Confessor had no words to respond but pathetic apologies.

Silvana shoved him back and spat her final word.

Stop being gentle…

I don’t want pointless confessions…

I don’t want theathrical executions…

I don’t want burning useless effigies shaped like CROSSES!

I WANT RESULTS!

BREAK THEIR LIMBS!

HEAL THEM!

AND BREAK THEM AGAIN!

NOT ONE OF THESE WRETCHES GETS TO DIE!

NOT UNTIL WE GET THE INFORMATION WE WANT!

NO MORE FAILURES!

…

Am I understood?

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