In a wasteland covered by ashes and broken bones, you could see a massive city that could easily contain more than a million people. The buildings were immense, but they fitted the residents since many of them have giant bodies with heights that reach dozens of meters.
An imponent wall surrounded the entire city, and it glowed with silver light due to the runic formation that covered every inch.
On top of the wall, hundreds of soldiers carrying different kinds of weapons could be seen. They were all in an orderly military formation, and there was a somber atmosphere around them as they focused on the enemy that was approaching the city.
An army of fifteen thousand warriors was advancing with an imposing aura. They were all armed to the teeth, and formations were covering the armors allowing them to fuse their energy to display an impressive battle power.
The true power of the army was not in the thousands of warriors on the ground but in the individuals flying above them.
Five were ten thousand meters above the ground. They were all Soul Forging existences, and the weakest was at the Third Origin Cycle. An aura full of malice and arrogance could be felt from them, and their energies were poisonous as they contaminated the air.
These five people working together could butcher the fifteen thousand beneath them with ease, but their power was nothing compared with the person that was one hundred thousand meters above them.
The leader of the army could only be described as a dinosaur-like monster. His body was more than three thousand meters tall. He had a disgusting mouth that occupied most of his face and was filled with several rows of razor-sharp teeth, a long tail full of spikes, and powerful arms that ended with hooks instead of hands.
The army stopped their march five thousand meters away from the city, but the leader's gargantuan body kept advancing. Despite his size, his speed and dexterity were impressive.
There were no stars, moons, or suns in the firmament above the army and the city. The sky was covered by blood-red light, and fireballs flashed through it, occasionally impacting on the ground and destroying everything around them.
The dinosaur-like monster stopped when he was five thousand meters away from the city, and the soldiers in the walls could not help but tremble when they saw such a powerful being in front of them. His body radiated energy so powerful that it could melt Rank 3 life forms, but luckily the walls generated a force field that stopped it.
The monster focused on the only person in the city who could match his might, a woman with a beautiful yet imposing appearance. Her body was two meters tall, and in her back there were two feathered wings.
"Countess Xenia, I have chosen your city to perform the Carnage Ritual. I am aware of the injuries you suffered in your last battle. Surrender to me now, allow my army to butcher the city, and I will let you live." Despite his monstrous appearance, the voice of the army leader was soft and elegant.
"Count Zitu, if you were worthy of the Marquess title, I would have submitted to you without hesitation, but if you think I will be the slave of a devil that is weaker than me, then you are even more stupid than I thought."
The woman's voice carried a magic power that was able to erase the fear in her soldiers. However, what they did not realize was that along with that courage, the idea of sacrificing their lives for the city was implanted in their mind.
None of the individuals in the walls would ever choose to lay down their lives for anyone else. That was normal since, after all, they were devils.
This was not a conflict between a fiend army and a city full of innocent people, but a battle between armies led by Devil Lords. This was extremely common in Avernus, the first layer in the Nine Hells of Baator.
"As you wish. The moment the defenses of your city fall, I will be sure to play with you a little before sacrificing your soul to Avernus' Origin." Zitu did not attack and returned to his original position before sending a signal.
Immediately after receiving the order from their Devil Lord, the army ran to the city. Although they advanced with incredible speed, they never broke formation and their energy increased with every step.
The Rank 4 Devils in the sky were at the lead. Their mission was to distract their counterpart in the city, allowing the fifteen thousand lesser devils beneath them to drain the power of the defensive runic formation.
Of course, none of them would risk their lives and enter the city while the force field was still active. They would attack from afar and always prioritize their life above everything else.
Zitu did not advance with his army and limited himself to stare at Xenia. Neither of the two Devil Lords would fight until they absolutely needed to do it. They were more than willing to let all their lesser devils die if that meant weakening the other party just a little.
The army had marched half of their path to the city when a fluctuation was felt in space, and then out of nowhere, a man appeared less than one hundred meters away from the devils.
Both Devil Lords were surprised by the appearance of the newcomer. However, they did not bother to look at him once they felt that his True Soul was at the First Cycle.
'Hahaha, a stupid foreigner dared to teleport into Baator with such an insignificant strength. The Archdevils have modified the laws of Avernus so that the newcomers appear in areas full of devils. Become another sacrifice for Avernus' Origin!."
Zitu was sure the man would die immediately, especially when he saw how a Rank 4 Devil, the one that looked like a charred forty-meter tall humanoid with fiery crystals coming out of his skin, launched himself at the man.
A flash of surprise appeared in the eyes of the man when he saw the devil army about to run him over, but instantly his mind let all his questions aside and focused on the enemy. When he saw the Seared Devil, who had his body strengthened by his Law Avatar, less than fifty meters away from him, there was no killing intent in his eyes, only emptiness.
The moment the Seared Devil saw those eyes, he felt an unbelievable amount of danger.
'I need to run!' Devils have a very sharp mind. At first, the Seared Devil was sure he could easily kill the man due to the difference in the power of their True Souls, but now, he knew that he must immediately escape if he wanted to survive.
Unfortunately, before he could back away, the man's Law Avatar manifested itself. He saw how the man's Soul Origin and powerful laws formed a small eclipse, less than fifty centimeters in diameter, with a halo made of purple fire.
The moment this Law Avatar appeared, disbelief appeared in their faces of the two Devil Lords. The laws they felt in this small eclipse were of such a high level that they could not even begin to comprehend them.
From the eclipse, eight wings full of white crystal feathers emerged, and the next instant, the wings in the Law Avatar fused with the wings in the man's back.
Zitu's eyes widened when he felt the immense increase in the man's strength and how his energy was ready to explode.
"Don't you dare..." Unfortunately, before the Devil Lord finished his words, a three thousand meter diameter domain full of dark golden flames was released from the man's body.
Everyone inside was assaulted not only by flames full of destructive power but also by immense pressure. Thousands of devils died instantly, and their souls were shattered.
The flames only became stronger after devouring the cannon fodder and struck with even greater power the Rank 4 Devils.
The first one to die was the frightened Seared Devil. Before he could even react, his body was divided in half. The devil's True Soul attempted to escape, but the man opened his mouth and generated a black hole that swallowed it.
Seeing their comrade die, the rest of the Rank 4 Devils pushed their speed to the limit as they tried to escape the domain. Unfortunately, the pressure was so powerful that it greatly hindered their bodies' movement.
"Bastard, I will kill you!" Zitu's voice descended from the sky, and it generated a shock wave that clashed with the dark golden domain.
He did not care about the death of the lesser devils, but each Soul Forging existence was a powerful weapon in his army.
The Devil Lord had become an eight thousand meter monster after using One with the Law and resembled a world-ending meteorite as he descended from the sky.
Coldness appeared in the man's eyes as he saw the gargantuan monster coming his way. Only this Devil Lord could awake the man's killing intent.
'The laws in my Law Avatar have not all reached the Initial level, so I cannot use One with the Law, and even if I could, my Soul Origin would only allow me to have it active for a second. Even if I cannot fuse with my Law Avatar, it doesn't mean that I don't have a way to increase the power of my body.'
"Doomsday Incarnation."
