Battle at the East Gate

[Penelope City]

Penelope City, nestled within sturdy stone walls, boasted numerous medieval-like structures lining its streets. This expansive city, one of many in the Demon Kingdom, has long been the dwelling place of countless demons, arguably making it the largest city within the realm. Situated closest to the Demon Queen's Castle, it lay to the east or right side of the Castle.

As usual, the city bustled with activity and commotion. But... it wasn't the same kind of comfortable busy atmosphere it used to have. Loud bell sounds echoed through the city, incessantly ringing. The citizens of Penelope City were gripped by panic, fleeing from the eastern part of the city as the ominous tolling of bells filled the air.

"Everyone, please evacuate to the Demon Queen's Castle!" shouted one of the demon knights, directing the panicked citizens. Many of the demon knights hurried to assist the fleeing residents, guiding them through the west gate of Penelope City toward the safety of the Demon Queen's Castle.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion erupted from the massive eastern gate of Penelope City, causing even more panic and fear among the citizens. "Remain calm, everyone! Our Demon Queen and her armies will defend the city!" Another demon knight tried to reassure the frantic citizens, but with little to no avail.

An influx of demon citizens poured out from the west gate, while others streamed back into the city. Demons of varying size and form were seen entering, bringing boxes and crates from nearby large wagons pulled by large rhinoceros-like animals. These individuals comprised the supply squad tasked with bringing provisions to the frontline.

"Come on! Move it!" The leader of the supply squad, Lieutenant Boa, a brunette pony-tail lamia, shouted orders while carrying supplies with her large serpent lower torso/tail.

Meanwhile, a few harpies soared above the city, with some scouting and observing the situation while others aided the demon knights in evacuating the citizens.

A flight formation of notable harpies was seen soaring through the skies above Penelope City, led by Major Kite, the green-feathered leader of the Harpy Scout Force. They were en route to the battlefield to assist the frontline armies in fending off the heroes' attack.

"Skydancers, listen up! We're approaching the frontline. Prepare your mana shields and anticipate any anti-air attacks from the heroes!" commanded Major Kite to her squadron, the Skydancers.

"Yes, ma'am!" chorused the members of the Skydancer squadron as they closed in on the east gate of Penelope City. As soon as they reached said gate, the harpies squadron finally saw the state of the battlefield themselves.

Metals clashed, creating the distinct sound of steel meeting steel as the armies of demons and heroes collided on the battlefield. Demons and non-demons clashed for dominance, their forces locked in a fierce struggle. Arrows flew back and forth, loosed by archers on both sides, while magical attacks crackled through the air, launched by mages on each opposing force. Some of the heroes' armies attacks managed to strike the walls of Penelope City, but a dark magical barrier, courtesy of Professor Hecate's 'Demon Shield Protection,' intercepted them all. The just arrived Skydancer harpies began to support their demon allies with their own attacks from the sky, consisting of wind and feather magical attacks.

Among the chaos of battle strode Lieutenant Akai, wielding a massive spiked metal club as he cut a path through the heroes' ranks. "Out of the way, humans!" he bellowed, swinging his club with devastating force and sending soldiers flying from the impact. As he pressed forward, a challenger leaped into the fray, halting his advance. The newcomer brandished a giant hammer and prepared to strike, but Lieutenant Akai swiftly evaded the attack, stepping back as the hammer crashed into the ground, leaving a sizable crack in its wake.

The challenger, a human male with a distinctive aura, leveled a stern gaze at Lieutenant Akai. "Hold it right there, demon scum," he declared, his bald head gleaming under the sunlight as he stood clad in knight's armor, the weight of his hammer balanced easily in his grip.

"*Tsk* Damn human..." Lieutenant Akai muttered while readying his metal club.

"I'm not just any human, demon! My name is Victor Martello, the hammer hero! And I will be the one that defeat the Demon Queen!" The hero Victor declared once again with bravado.

"Keep dreaming, you filthy hero!" Lieutenant Akai shouted back as he began his charge towards the hammer-wielding hero. The bald hero Victor also charged back at the bald red oni as they clashed back and forth in a battle of strength. The demons and the human soldiers could only watch the fight.

At first, the battlefield was at a stalemate, with the demon armies not losing more ground. But... more heroes began to pour into the fray.

A female archer hero appeared, clad in her green light armor. She drew her bowstring, releasing a single arrow. However, upon release, the arrow transformed into a powerful tornado-like wind attack that overwhelmed a small part of the demon armies.

Another hero, a female mage adorned in a light gray robe and a large black witch-like hat, unleashed her magics. However, it was not just one spell; she cast two spells simultaneously, conjuring a barrage of massive fireballs from one hand and unleashing waves of frozen icebergs from the ground with the other. The landscape of the battlefield transformed under the onslaught of her powerful magic.

More and more heroes entered the battlefield, driving the demon armies closer and closer to the walls of Penelope City.

"This is bad... More of those damned heroes keep coming!" One of the demon knights said in a dreadful tone.

Noticing the dire state of their armies, Lieutenant Akai gritted his teeth in frustration. "Everyone, fall back and-!" But before he could finish his command, the hammer-wielding hero Victor swung and struck Lieutenant Akai with his hammer, sending him flying back and crashing into the wall of Penelope City.

"*laugh* Dropped your guard, eh? Big mistake." The hammer hero Victor snarked.

"Lieutenant Akai!!!" The demons cried out upon seeing one of their commanders sent flying by the enemy hero.

Lieutenant Akai slowly fell from the impact of being sent flying and hitting the city wall, landing with a heavy thud. "K-kuh... damn hero...!" He groggily attempted to stand up but found it difficult.

Several demon knights quickly rushed to aid the red oni Lieutenant. "Lieutenant Akai!? Quickly, find a healer!" One of the demon knights desperately demanded help. A female demon in a light gray robe hurriedly approached them and began using demonic-like healing magic on the Lieutenant.

As the healer tended to his injuries, the Lieutenant's wounds slowly closed, but he struggled to muster the strength to stand. He could only observe with dreadful feeling at the state of the battlefield as his demon allies continued to be pushed back by the heroes.

Gritting his teeth, the Lieutenant forced his body to stand up again, but, a familiar voice called out, "Enough. We'll take it from here." All the demons heard that voice and immediately saw the source of that voice. It was from The General Bella.

General Bella came out from the east gate of Penelope City, along with several demon knights in full heavy plate armor. This was General Bella with her own personal knight squadron, the Mino's Knights.

The General held out her hand and then one of the Mino's Knights brought out a massive two-sided long axe. Said knight then put the large axe into the General's outstretched hand. She gripped the handle of the axe, then thumped the bottom edge of the axe to the ground, resulting in a massive quake-like sound. This caught the attention not just of her demon allies, but also of the human armies and their heroes.

"Wait... that person!?" exclaimed one of the heroes, eyes widening in recognition.

"She's here!?" another hero gasped, disbelief evident in their voice.

"Damn it... one of the Four Arc Demons..." muttered a third, their tone heavy with resignation.

"The Minotaur General!?!" exclaimed a fourth, fear creeping into their voice.

The General stood her ground with determination and fierceness. "Listen up, you damned heroes. None of you shall pass further into our land!" She shouted across the battlefield, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. Her commanding tone reignited the fire within the demon armies, nearly extinguished by the heroes' advance, while the heroes themselves were startled and taken aback. This was a testament to her reputation and charisma as the General of the Demon Armies.

"Don't get cocky, you oversized cow!" yelled one of the heroes, Victor, the hammer-wielding warrior, as he leaped into the sky, ready to strike the General. However, she effortlessly blocked his hammer with her own axe, resulting in a massive quake-like impact from the clash of their weapons. Unfazed by the hero's attack, the General stood firm, and even her Mino's Knights didn't react to the hammer hero's foolish attempt.

Before the hammer hero could comprehend that his attack had been easily thwarted, the General swiftly swung her massive axe at the still airborne hero, striking him hard and sending him hurtling toward the heroes' ranks. The flying hammer hero crashed into his own allies, causing a colossal impact that left a crater in the ground. The impressive display of strength by the General brought even more hope to the demon armies, while the heroes' armies became fearful from it.

Once again, she thumped her axe to the ground, resulting in another quake-like sound. She then raised her axe high in the air and shouted to her fellow demons, "Demon Knights, to me! FORWARD!"