Ch. 11 Marching Orders

-Castle Bael

Today was the final meeting before we began the offensive against the Satans.

Until now the Anti-Satan faction had been either on the defensive or preparing for their own attack, resulting in the Satans constantly harassing them.

But now all the Lords and Aces of the Anti-Satan faction were gathered for the final briefing being handled by Falbium of all people.

Apparently while Zekram was the leader of the faction itself, Falbium was the military commander due to his admittedly keen insight regarding war and military strategies.

"…Like you've all heard before, we are going to be initiating a two-pronged offensive to the capital of Lucifaad.

The two armies will be led by Ajuka and Serafall.

Sirzechs will be in reserve depending on the response from the Satans.

And I will stay in our field headquarters to direct things." The lazy bald man explained as he gestured at the map they had on display to show general marching routes and positioning.

"I have a question regarding this plan." Lord Furcas suddenly said.

"…yes?" Was the very reluctant reply since it no doubt meant Falbium would have to work more.

"From what we have learnt of…Lord Azaroth, he has the ability to move entire armies using his portals. Why are we not simply using them to reach the capital?" Lord Furcas questioned, which did gain some support and curiosity over the matter.

"*sigh* We can't just do that. It would turn Lucifaad into a battlefield where half a dozen Satan-Class devils would be fighting each other." Falbium replied as he gave a look saying 'are you stupid?', "It would also destroy our armies… and allow other Satan faction members to attack elsewhere.

So unless you all want your territories to be left open to attack… and the capital to become a death field… we need to do this in order to lure out the Satans and their armies."

"But who says those self-important bastards are going to show up?" Lord Vapula asked this time.

"…If they don't they'll lose anyway." Falbium simply answered to the bafflement of most present.

"Allow me to explain." Ajuka said as he stood for all to see, "Even if the Satans are fools, even they know that to hold power or fulfill their desire to attack Heaven and restart the Great War, they will need the support of the Pillar houses and to show their strength.

Should they allow us to March on Lucifaad unopposed, while we also take down any allied army they send our way, they would be left with nothing even if they somehow defeat us.

Thus they must fight to maintain their prestige, armies and support. Even if they don't care for other devils, they would still need them for war."

Ajuka's explanation was direct and logical. Something which made the Lords understand the reason why there was going to be such an obvious march on the capital.

"How will we be divided then?" Lord Gremory asked this time.

"We will be dividing ourselves into four groups." Falbium answered as he showed the map once again, but this time it had symbols for each House and four larger symbols to indicate the four aces in command of the armies.

I won't be in command due to being a brand new lord and because i hadn't truly established any kind of prestige. And because most Houses wouldn't be happy with following me.

"Bael, Gremory and Vapula armies will be under Sirzechs.

Astaroth, Furcas, Vassago and Azaroth fall under Ajuka.

Sitri, Agares, Phenex and Balam will go with Serafall.

Glasya-Labolas, Gamigin and Andrealphus will protect headquarters under me." Falbium said as the groups were formed with the leaders in mind.

Bael is linked through marriage with Gremory and Vapula, meaning the three will have no problem following Sirzechs' command.

Astaroth and Vassago are old allies, Furcas respects Ajuka enough to follow his commands as well, and I would be content following any of the four.

Sitri has important connections with Agares and Phenex while Balam's Lord is quite fond of my friend.

And the rest would follow Falbium since they respect Zekram enough to understand he put the bald guy in charge of this campaign for a reason.

Seeing no issues, the final meeting was over and everyone began to leave to finish preparations and head to their own gathering points.

Meanwhile I was chatting with Serafall.

"Why couldn't you be in my team Lith?" She lightly whined as she hugged my arm saying it was her right as my friend when I asked why she was being so physical. "Mean baldy Falbium."

I was not going to say no and just enjoyed the feeling of such an adorable and sexy girl. Plus it was funny feeling Falbium almost trip when he heard her.

"I'm sure they thought I would be more useful with Sir Ajuka Sera. Besides, if anything goes wrong I can come see you in mere moments." I said to her as I pat her head, making her smile a bit and lean into it.

"I know. I just thought it would be nice to fight together. I'm really curious about how strong you are and how you fight." She replied as she looked up to me.

Meanwhile I was feeling a piercing glare which I ignored.

"How'd it go once you got home yesterday?" I suddenly asked since the glare was worse than when he was conflicted last time.

"Oh! It went well. Mom made me feel bad since I really made them worry, but I didn't have to sit through another of dad's hour long lecture. She looked happy that I had fun though!" She recounted with fluctuating emotions due to guilt, relief and overall feeling happy, "Mom also told me to ask if you wanted to come to visit us next time we can have fun together."

"Sounds Good Sera. It'll be nice to visit again." I replied with a smile, which made her quite a bit happier.

"I'll show you all the best spots people who don't live there won't know about! Then we can go see the Sitri Forrest, I'll introduce you to the aunts and uncles working at the castle, I can even show you all the stuff in my room!" The energetic girl rapidly said, but I could feel her father's spirit cracking when she mentioned bringing me to her room.

It would seem Serafall is a bit oblivious regarding how relationships between two genders worked, but who am I to say no?

"I look forward to it Sera." I warmly said to the girl, "Here's some of those cookies you liked from Liora. She made those this morning knowing you were going to be here."

"Yay!" She happily exclaimed as she grabbed them and twirled a bit as she finally let go.

"Glad you like them. Now I have to go get ready. I'll see you at Lucifaad alright?" I said to the girl, which makes her put on a much more serious face than usual.

"Yeah. Be safe alright? Don't do anything stupid for glory or something like that." The now worried Serafall replied.

"Don't worry. I'm quite hard to kill. You be safe too." I responded as I vanished from the room and reappeared at my main fortress.

-Aegis, Azaroth territory Military Citadel and city.

The place was currently the most heavily protected one in my lands, acting as the the main pillar to support the barriers protecting my borders as it links to each frontier fortress.

It was also a completely military city with housing for families of soldiers and officers so they wouldn't have to go through long term separation.

The city was surrounded by its own walls, had shops, entertainment and leisure areas, a regulated red-light district since it is good for single soldiers, and military schools built for those wanting to climb higher and a junior section for kids.

At the center was the Citadel itself, representing the will to defend House Azaroth and its people.

A grand fortress which served as the command center for every armed force in my lands: the guards, legions and huntresses. Each had a representative in this place. It also had a massive underground shelter so those living in the city could be safe should something dangerous happen.

Inside said citadel, I was currently having my own final meeting with the leaders of my forces which included my Chief military commander, Heltana as the leader of the Huntresses, Lomr who is turning into my personal bodyguard, the representative for the city and town guards across my lands.

"Are things as you've predicted my lord?" My military commander named Horuth asked.

He's an old veteran of the Great War and has strong morals, experience and broke through to the Ultimate-Class after I freed his talents as a general, warrior and earth magician.

He wears a black dwarf made armor with my crest on the front, under which has a good amount of muscles for an old man, short white hair, neatly trimmed beard, Blue eyes, and a few scars on his face with the most prominent being one on the right side of his face which starts near his mouth and ends at his ear.

"Yes. It's a two-pronged attack with ourselves being under the command of Ajuka Astaroth. He and Sirzechs should be the strongest devils in the Underworld, and while Ajuka is smarter, Sirzechs is more charismatic, so I see this as a good placement.

Although I do believe it's mostly to keep an eye on us, being under Ajuka is better than I thought." I answered the old man.

"Who will you be taking master?" Heltana asked this time.

"The 1st, 2nd and 3rd legions are coming. Heltana, you and your huntresses will be acting as our scouting corps and harassment unit later on. I will also be bringing Sigil and Lomr along.

The big guy's progress has been rather great in the last 6 months and I think a battlefield such as this will help him tremendously." I answered one of my first servants as she accepted dutifully.

"So that means we're bringing 8 ultimates huh? Those bastards are going to shit their pants." Horuth summarized with a savage smile.

He had been completely screwed by the current and old Satans.

Because of the orders of their stupid, prideful and cowardly descendants, he lost everything during the Great War. Their orders caused the army he had been leading for decades to be wiped out, his son, brother and his close men died. He was removed from command and then they laid the entirety of the blame on him on the words of the whelps who were supposed to be in charge, just so the piece of shit could rape his daughter as 'recompense for losing'.

I found him drinking away any winnings he was making fighting as a gladiator, barely staying alive as he hoped to at least die at the hands of a warrior and not by killing himself like a coward.

I offered him a place here and he agreed once I spoke to him about what I want to achieve and that i would need someone with real experience to lead the people I was gathering.

Ever since he's been getting back into proper shape, calling for old comrades who he still knew and working on getting my armed forces on its feet with near unconditional support from me.

Didn't even have to 'convince' the man using other means.

So yeah, he's a bit excited that the strongest men and women are coming together to slaughter the Satans and their armies.

Those ultimates by the way are Horuth himself, his second in command Thillis, Heltana, Sigil, Lomr, and the leaders of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd legions.

Thillis was actually a man who had followed Horuth until the end of his career, settling down with his family after he was kicked out of the army due to having been under Horuth. He was an up-and-coming officer back then, who managed to save a lot of good men and women when shit went sideways. Horuth contacted him and offered a place for him and his family in my lands after getting permission, then began grooming him as his second.

The man was good looking with shoulder length blonde hair and yellow eyes. He was leaner than most who trained their bodies due to favoring speed and technique over brute strength. He became well respected in his time here.

But back on topic, yes, having 8 ultimates as part of a single fighting force was going to be quite the shock.

We had more since each Legion was led by an Ultimate who had went through proper training and earned the approval of his men through friendly inter-legion competitions or monster subjugations. The Guard Captain and Vice-Captain, who are the leaders of all guards and in charge of most internal security measures, are also Ultimates.

Usually Ultimates were Lords or at least related to Pillar or Extra houses, with them having a few as high ranking members. They were the backbone of each high-ranking House. But me showing up with eight of them was going to cause people to take me a lot more seriously just for that.

Obviously they are still technically weaker than an Ultimate from a Pillar or Extra family on paper, but their freed talents do close the gap significantly. I love my Longinus.

"Is it weird that I'm looking forward to seeing the looks on my allies faces more than my enemies?" I questioned the group.

"Nah, it's always fun seeing those 'high and mighty' lords realize they aren't top shit." Horuth answered as he's probably had to deal with a lot of noble crap in his days.

"They deserve it for looking on down on you for simply being born as you are master." Heltana said as a sharp light flashed through her eyes when she remembered hearing about those who felt like her master didn't deserve to be a recognized lord.

"I guess that answers that. Horuth I trust you to have everything ready soon. I'll open a portal near the gathering point afterward with Heltana, her huntresses, Lomr and Sigil going first." I said as I finished the meeting.

"Lomr excited to bash heads Chief." My big blue semi-bodyguard said as he cracked his knuckles.

"There'll be plenty of that alright. Just take care of yourself big guy." I replied as we walked through a portal and arrived where Sigil was currently being equipped with his own armor.

Just because he was a beast, doesn't mean a lucky hit can't be annoying and armor doesn't help. Plus it's not like Unicorns have any natural armor and since we will be heading to a battlefield with a Leviathan in it, it's good to have some extra protection.

Even those erotic or perverted armors from canon technically protect the wearer through various enchantments and material combinations which allow for tough but light-weight armor.

'This is always surprisingly comfortable.' My dignified familiar said as he tested his range of movement with the armor.

He's worn it before to get used to it and for testing purposes, but those were works in progress.

"It was a special order made by the chief of the Dwarves. They used the same type of armor Odin's Sleipnir has, but modified it to fit you." I responded with satisfaction since those little guys really knew their stuff.

'I only wish I could have a more… honorable color than black. It makes me look evil when I wear it.' He lightly complained as his knightly ideals came up.

"Well, you had to match me and the rest of the army." I replied with a shrug since it wasn't the biggest of deals.

Plus he looks a lot more intimidating with the black armor.

(This but black.)

'I know. But I am still excited to fight on such a large battlefield. The monster stampedes are a much different experience.' Sigil said as the ones equipping his armor finished and he began to trot around. 'Perfect.'

"It'll be interesting alright. You ready?" I asked my friend and borderline family.

'100%. Let's show these dastardly foes our might!' He declared with a stomp of his hoof.

"Atta boy." I replied as I mounted him and we headed to our gathering point.

Didn't even need to do anything and just enjoyed the ride.

Plus me riding on Sigil's back is mostly for looks. We will see how the battle goes and if I can stay on his back while fighting or if I'll need to get off and give it more oomph.

Once we got there I was quite surprised to find Liora and Fia there considering i never planned on bringing the two.

"What are you two lovely ladies doing here?" I asked as Sigil came to a stop, "Don't you have your duties in the Castle?"

"My duties are to see to your needs master. I simply left my deputy in charge while I do so." Fia calmly answered as always, even if she was saying something a bit ridiculous.

"Well not like you'll willingly stay behind anyway, but how about you Liora?" I followed up with.

"My job is to make your food master. Without you it would only be making food for other servants and guards, something which the others can handle." She replied pretty much the same thing as Fia, but her look of determination and care made it cute and heart warming.

"Well at least you can whip those army cooks into shape while your not cooking for me and the higher ups then." I said to the brunette.

"Of course. I can't let them serve subpar food to your soldiers after all. Everyone should be able to enjoy good food." She responded with words of truth.

"Haha! I'm sure you'll get very popular that way Liora!" I happily said to the motherly servant of mine.

"Oh? It's been some time Fia and Liora. How have you been?" Heltana said as she noticed her two long time friends.

They have known each other and served under me for years now after all. And even though Heltana was always away doing her own work, my four original servants are all close to each other.

"I have been good Heltana. How have you been since our last outing?" Fia replied politely due to being 'on-duty'.

"My girls and I have been good, with nice hunting grounds available keeping things interesting. Even got a good number of recruits this time around." The red headed huntress answered straightforwardly.

"Recruited the normal way or the personal way?" Fia asked with traces of concern.

"The normal way this time. Some girls wanting to join the hunt and become strong, or some just looking for a family. Been taking in some homeless ones and looking at some orphanages lately too." Heltana answered as her eyes softened.

She had a real soft spot for girls going through difficult times or wanting to grow strong.

Her Huntresses actually reached 250 not too long ago, something i had to talk to her about since that is a lot of people constantly going around hunting beasts. It could affect various ecosystems after all. So it was decided that I would talk to other Lords after the war to permit them to hunt in certain areas to help them control magical and demonic beast numbers, while also keeping an eye out for bandits and the like.

We were also building them a proper headquarters, which was going to be their own town where they could gather and later settle down in should they want. Making a place dedicated to supporting their hunts and livelihoods.

"That's good. Wouldn't want others going through some of what we did." Liora said to the huntress who gets her many interesting ingredients.

"Yeah." Was Hel's only reply, "Anyway, I see you two weren't able to put aside your worries about master then."

"It is my duty to always be by his side." Fia said in an effort to hide her embarrassment.

"It's my job to cook for master and no one's taking it from me." The shorter brunette said possessively.

"That's fine. Just be sure to listen to him when it's time to fight. You don't want to become burdens even if you can defend yourselves." Heltana seriously said to her friends, "We are heading out to fight the Satans themselves after all."

"I would never permit myself to be a burden on master." Fia replied with an iron will.

"My place is in the kitchen. I'll simply wait for master to come back with the best food." Liora responded with her own determination.

"Good. Then I'll see you two later. Got to go take care of my girls." The huntress said as she took her leave.

Within the hour, my legions were standing at the ready.

"SOLDIERS OF AZAROTH! TODAY WE FINALLY MARCH TO TAKE DOWN THE POISON WHICH THE SATANS HAVE BECOME!

YOU HAVE SUFFERED OR HAVE COME TO KNOW THOSE WHO HAVE SUFFERED UNDER THE HAND OF THE SATANS!

BUT NOW IS THE TIME FOR US TO STRIKE BACK!

ALONGSIDE THE ANTI-FACTION, WE WILL MARCH TO LUCIFAAD! WE WILL DEFEAT THEIR ARMIES! WE WILL WALK OVER THE CORPSES OF THE SATANS! AND WE WILL CREATE A BETTER FUTURE FOR ALL DEVILS!!" I shouted to my men as they cheered.

Without a command, Sigil turned and I opened the portal leading to the Ajuka gathering point.

"FORWARD!"