83 Learning the Difference (2)

- Death, Hrom, Moloch, Baal, Urdros -

As moloch flew, in he gathered blood from the numerous puddles that had been formed by Death and Hrom's rampage. It didn't take long for the four-horned demon lord to amass a wave of red.

'They're fighting together?' Death questioned.

The state of the battlefield gave Moloch mixed feelings. Death and Hrom had clearly dominated this battle but in that domination, they had created the perfect source for his magic.

'If I hadn't helped, that fool would have died no question,' Moloch thought.

"What do we do now sir?" Urdros asked a bewildered Baal.

Baal couldn't help staring at Moloch. The image of someone he was just cursing in his mind flying to save him short-circuited his usual arrogance.

"Same plan as before," Baal mumbled as he picked up his hammers. "Void-eyes can control the sky while we handle the ground."

Baal and Urdros started to chase after Death and Hrom, neither knowing what to make of the situation.

Death had been worried for a moment at the sight of Moloch joining the battle. That was until he realized what it meant for the rest of his allies. Winning against the two demon lords safely would be tricky. Stalling them, however, would be no trouble at all.

"IS THIS WHAT A RIDER IS?" Moloch shouted down at the fleeing Death. "JUST A COWARD WITH A BEAST?"

'Taunts? Really?' Death mocked Moloch in his mind.

Death didn't respond to the insults. This was a battlefield, and he needed to be smart. His control over his anger was loose at times but this was different. He hoped he could maintain this levelheadedness when fighting Satan. As far as he was concerned, this was just a warm-up.

Despite Death's insane speed, Moloch was heading towards an actual goal. The sky seemed to turn red with the amount of blood that was being lifted. The demons below couldn't help staring up at the sight.

The growing shadow on the ground did give Death a slight worry. Moloch's wave of blood would be a threat, if it hits. He kept his eyes forward, continuing his slaughter of the demons around him.

Every slain demon was more ammo for Moloch. The blood he was controlling now was the most he had ever gathered. Even in his battles against Satan, there wasn't as many dead to pull from.

"You," Moloch turned to one of his flying soldiers, "go tell the fool to move his troops out of my way."

The demon nodded and flew off to inform Baal.

"So be it," Baal responded. "So long as he kills the Rider, I don't care."

Urdros was surprised by the quick agreement. He expected his lord to at least argue somewhat. This proved to him that Death's image hadn't just affected him.

"Come on," Baal motioned to Urdros. "There's another battlefield for us." He smiled.

Urdros understood what Baal was implying. He smiled, happy that his lord wasn't beaten just yet.

- Death and Moloch -

"Sir, Lord Baal has left to handle the Prince," The demon informed Moloch.

"That f-, fine," Moloch grunted. "Not like he was much use here in the first place."

Death wasn't aware that Baal and Urdros left. He would have never guessed that the headstrong demon lord would ever admit defeat. He kept riding, sure he was still buying time for his allies. He started to notice fewer and fewer enemies as he rode.

'Surprised you didn't just attack everyone,' Death thought.

Moloch had gathered more than enough blood now. He started to rain bloody spikes down towards Death with one hand, while slowly permeating blood into certain parts of the battlefield with the other. He had to fly lower to do this, risking a potential counter from Death but he didn't care. One thing was clear to him; Death isn't trying to kill him, yet.

Death decided he should start to ride closer to where Lucifer and Kahvis would be fighting. He had killed more than enough demons and with Moloch, and supposedly Baal, occupied, he decided it was time to move towards a finish for this conflict.

Moloch noticed where Death was heading. He mistook it for a retreat.

Death was going full speed when he felt the ground start to rumble. He correctly assumed it was Moloch's magic. He didn't expect what was coming next.

Moloch stopped controlling the large wave of blood over his head and shot down to cut-off Death. As he flew with the blood rain behind him, he smiled. He knew killing Death wouldn't be easy but the idea that it was even possible filled him with joy.

Death watched as Moloch landed on the ground in front of him, sure that the demon had made a mistake. He continued going full speed, ready to behead Moloch, and move on to assist the others.

Moloch brought his left hand down quickly. The rain of blood above him turned into a powerful shower of red spikes. The ground around him was being drilled by the rush of red.

Death spun his scythe over his head to try and mitigate the damage.

["STOP!"] Death ordered Hrom, who ignored him.

'Shit, It's been too long,' Death worried.

Hrom kept charging towards Moloch whose smiling face assured Death this was a bad position to be in.

Moloch placed his right hand towards Death and created a drill of blood. His goal was to kill Hrom and then fight Death from the sky.

Death was stuck between stopping the rain from above while also needing to avoid the attack in front of him. He needed to do something risky. He yanked Hrom's rein so hard that he was effectively throwing them.

Hrom toppled over to the side. Its body was being perforated by the rain as Death swung his scythe at Moloch's head.

Moloch canceled both of his attacks and flew backward. As he ascended, he brought the blood back up from the ground with him. He wasn't confident that he could safely kill Death from his position. He was satisfied having killed Death's uništi, or so he thought.

Death looked over at Hrom. The uništi stood up as its once hole-filled body slowly returned to its shadowy form. It looked at Death and the glow in its eyes started to fade.

'That thing should be dead!' Moloch cursed in his head. 'What is it doing?!'

Death returned his scythe and blinked back onto Hrom. Hrom violently bucked as it attempted to throw Death off.

["YOU,"] Death placed his hands around Hrom's neck. ["Will."] He tightened his grip, digging his fingers into the uništi's flesh. ["LISTEN!"]

The dark energy returned to Hrom's eye sockets. It stopped trying to shake Death off and looked up at Moloch.

'What is that thing?' Moloch wondered.

'I'm a fool,' Death thought.

It was at that moment that Death realized Urdros and Baal were nowhere to be seen. In fact, most of the curled horn demons had left. He hadn't noticed in time and it might cost his side dearly. He was done playing with Moloch. He needed to get back now.

Moloch had been watching the brief interaction between Death and Hrom. His curiosity had made him lose focus on attacking. He could tell that Death was about to leave towards Lucifer and Kahvis.

'No you don't!' He shouted in his head.

Moloch took control of every drop of blood he could. He turned the smooth wave of red into a rigid bundle of spikes. He moved his hands and started his attempted barrage against Death.

Death's goal was rendezvousing with Lucifer and Kahvis, not killing Moloch. He returned his scythe. He needed full control over Hrom's movements if he wanted to avoid Moloch's assault.

Moloch flew behind Death, annoyed by how difficult it was to keep up.

Death maneuvered Hrom around the red spikes shooting from the ground and sky. Moloch's attacks filled the battlefield but Hrom's speed more than made up for it. The spikes were always just short of hitting.

Moloch was losing Death. He had felt so confident in his position that the anger he was feeling made him lose focus. His attacks became more erratic and less accurate. He was in a cycle of being angry at his inability to hit Death, which made him less accurate, which made him angrier.

If Death had been close enough he would have taunted Moloch. After getting out of Moloch's range he reabsorbed what he could of his mana from Hrom. He couldn't risk losing control over Hrom around non-enemies.

- Kut'thar -

Kut'thar was slowly walking towards Lucifer and Kahvis's battlefield. His slow movement was questioned by a nearby soldier.

"The troops need you! Move!"

Kut'thar turned his head towards the demon. His eyes didn't focus on the demon as he spoke.

"I wanted to do that," He tilted his head. "But our lord suggested against it." He stepped closer to the soldier. "So if you're questioning me, you're questioning him." He put his hand on the soldier's shoulder. "And questioning lord Moloch has dire consequences."

The demon was shaking at the implications. He had been out of line and was about to die for it.

"Calm down," Kut'thar laughed as he tapped the demon's face with his palm.

The demon wasn't sure how to feel. Kut'thar was impossible to read compared to the other commanders. He felt a pit in his stomach that prevented him from speaking.

"What's the matter?" Kut'thar asked. "Not feeling well? I can "heal" you if you have a problem."

The demon shook his head.

Kut'thar smiled. He continued his slow walk.

'Now then...'