Chapter 52: Broken Floor: Time of Trouble

[Millie Hotaru POV]

Just by feeling the pressure that Milicas' sword was releasing is making Shota tremble.

"He's really serious this time..." Doing his best to stay calm right now while watching Milicas hold his sword, Shota pulled out many insects to use them against Milicas.

"Shota!" Shouting Shota's name angrily, Milicas starts to ran directly toward him.

"This is bad!" Throwing one of his insects on the floor, and the insect created tons of smoke.

"Don't think that you'll escape easily Shota!" With a snap of his finger, Shota saw his self teleported in front of Milicas.

Milicas' sword was already close to Shota's head, and when the sword was close; vines grew quickly on Milicas' feet and threw him.

"Are you okay Shota?" Millie came and asked Shota after she protected him from Milicas.

"I'm good, thanks."

Looking at where Milicas was thrown, they saw him very pissed from what Millie did.

He raised his sword above; shouting at them. "Never disturb someone who's about to kill, you insects! Soul Harvest!" By using the skill Soul Harvest, half of the soldiers began to tremble and die.

"He's killing his own soldiers?!" Seeing the soldiers even if all of them are his enemies, Shota still couldn't take what was happening right now.

One by one, half of the soldiers died and a floating light came from the dead bodies and all of the lights were absorb onto Milicas' sword. "Die!" After all of the souls of the fallen soldiers were absorbed by the sword, Milicas unleashed a giant star above made out the souls of the soldiers.

"He didn't even listen to Mammon's warning about killing his own soldiers... Hey Millie, do you know what will happen if that explodes?"

"Well, I'd rather not find out what-" Grabbing Shota's hand and pulling him, Millie started to ran and messaged everyone here on the 8th floor to retreat.

Seeing what Millie meant by a star, everyone panicked and ran back to their base.

Satanael decided to not chase Ifrit, Hans, and Vladamir when they ran, and message everyone to stop chasing them and wait here near the gate until Millie and the others decide to come back.

While looking at the star that Milicas' made, Satanael smiled brightly and thought of a new plan.

He said to Milicas. "Create another one."

Everyone was already back at their base, and they were all tired after all the flying they did.

"What's with that star that Milicas' created, Mille? That thing can destroy the entire gate if he made the star explode."

"We don't know to Master, because this is the first time we even knew that Milicas' sword can create a giant star, and with the mana that's stored in the souls, who knows how powerful can the supernova be. For now, we'll contact my brother and everyone on the 7th floor to help us." After she said that, Millie noticed that the three Archangels were missing. "Where are they? Zadkiel and the other two?"

"Actually, Azrael messaged me that for some reason they're Space Cutter were stolen so they couldn't create a portal to here, and so they are now hiding in a nearby ruin that they found." Hans answered in despair. "Also, about the missing skills that they said. Some of my skills were also gone, Millie."

"I, myself have experienced it too, the skill that can make me a fake body that I used with my dad has disappeared for some reason." Dawn declared in anger.

"Missing? But ho-, Mammon..!" It could only be Mammon, with his power to control what Greed is, the skills that went missing can only be done by him. "*Tsk* Why did he even steal some of our skills?! *Sigh* I'll message everyone on the 8th floor about this, and we're gonna need their aid now that Milicas created that monstrosity of a star."

"What are you suggesting we do with Mammon, Millie?" Lilith asked.

"*Sigh* Mammon is one of our problems, but we need his service too for private information about Satanael and Yahweh, so we're gonna ask Mammon to cooperate with us for today."

***

[Lucas Asmodeus POV]

In the midst of the bloody battle that was currently happening right now in the 8th floor, Chizuru got to see many bodies of her allies and enemies.

While riding Flint, Chizuru ket killing her enemies, and Lucas was the same also.

Seeing that most of their soldiers were killed made them rage, so they decided to try and finish this faster.

But due to the strength of the heavenly ghouls that Azazel sent on the 8th floor, they saw themselves with only 15,000 soldiers left, and only a couple of the fallen angels were killed, while only a small amount of ghouls were killed by Chizuru.

"We're surrounded." That is what Lucas said, and was the truth.

They were in the middle stuck, while the fallen angels and the ghouls were encircling them. "Any message that they sent Chizuru?!"

"No, not any! The only message they sent was Phenex and Gremory successfully coming in time to help the three who were fighting-" Being disturbed by an upcoming ghoul, Chizuru killed it first. "When they were fighting Azazel, and they said that they'll come here as fast as they can!"

"Sh*t-" Slashing away an enemy soldier. Lucas continued. "Everyone remain on your guard!"

Even with Flint having Soul Bound, he and Lucas were useless against the heavenly ghouls, because with them having no magical skills that's element is light, they couldn't do any damage to the ghouls.

All of the ghouls drew out all of their chains and threw them to Lucas and the others.

Seeing that there was no way for Chizuru to block all of the attacks with her skills, Lucas used his body and sword as shields to block the enemy's attack.

He was injured badly from their attack. "Lucas!" When she saw that Lucas was severely injured, Chizuru desperately tried to go after him, but due to the chains and the fallen angels' attacks, she couldn't move an inch on her position.

Soldiers were once again dying slowly, from the angels and ghouls' attack, and the best they could do was wait and fight.

***

[Sora Belphegor POV]

In the forest were Sora and Ruri fighting the fallen angels desperately.

When the time they started to move to start scouting and setting a trap, their plan backfired on them.

Instead of them using the treants as their traps and weapons, the treants were instead used by the fallen angels to trap and lure the two and their soldiers toward them.

All of the soldiers that they brought were killed by the fallen angels; only leaving Sora and Ruri as the remaining survivor in the forest.

"Ruri are you okay?!" With Ruri using tons of her skills to fight the fallen angels, she fainted in the middle of the battle. "Sh*t what happened to you?" He was surrounded by the enemy soldiers with no means of escape.

And with him using tons of his energy to fight the soldiers, he was tired that he can only make some of the soldiers fall asleep. "Why now of all time!?"

Even if there were only a few soldiers left, Sora was astounded to see that the soldiers were strong enough to survive any attack of a General of Hell. "About a thousand soldiers are still alive, and then my body started to hate me?" Looking at his surroundings he was wrong to say that there were about a thousand soldiers left; because the treants were still alive and many are still coming to help the fallen angels.

Carrying Ruri on his shoulders with his only strength, Sora was looking for an open spot to run.

Being injured from the battle will make him slow, but for him, he wants to make sure that Ruri and his self is gonna live.

All of the fallen angels then started to ran at him, and some of them flew above to attack them from above.

Sora seeing that there's really no way to escape closed his eyes from the pain of dying, and started to say in his mind that he's sorry.

"*Tsk* Seriously, why are you giving up now that there are only a few enemies?" A familiar voice asked him. "*Sigh* Whatever, Doomsday!"

The ground started to crack, and every fallen angel and treants at the ground were trapped by the crack.

And a couple of seconds, the cracks on the ground let out a hot magma that burned the treants and the fallen angels alive, and they were killed.

The fallen angels who flew were shocked and retreated after they saw backup coming.

Opening his eyes again, Sora saw ally soldiers coming toward him and Ruri to help them.

The medics immediately went to Ruri and Sora and healed them up immediately.

"*Sigh* Good thing that you two are safe, at least."

Looking at where the familiar voice came from, Sora saw someone he knew. "Ryou! You're here?!"

The person who was Ryou answered back at Sora. "Of course I'm here, who wouldn't get worried when we heard that the barrier finally opened up and another war started?"

"I guess that makes sense, I'm thankful Ryou that you came here."

"*Sigh* For now you two need to be taken back to Hans' house to heal up."

"Okay, but Ryou go to Chizuru and Lucas right now! Since there are lots of enemies with them!"

"Don't worry, someone stronger than us will help them."

***

[Lucas Asmodeus POV

Everyone who was trapped started to steady their defense against the ghouls, but many soldiers were started to be tired from always playing on the defensive.

Lucas was injured really badly, and Chizuru with Flint are both starting to lose their energies.

"Someone, please help..." Chizuru whispered in full agony, seeing that her soldiers were getting killed made Chizuru cried in pain for help.

"Coming." A voice came from behind the enemy soldiers, and when the soldiers looked on where the voice came from, thousands of daggers made out light appeared above them and all flew to the ghouls; killing them in a blink of an eye.

The light daggers turned to normal daggers and multiplied, and flew to the soldiers instantly without even them noticing that the ghouls were killed above them.

the daggers then combined into one and flew to the person who owns it. "Good work holding up, Chizuru; Lucas."

"Sir Gusion!" Seeing that Gusion came to help them, both Lucas and Chizuru were happy to see him come.

"I'm happy that you two are still alive, Chizuru; Lucas." Coming from behind Gusion were medics and soldiers to help Lucas, Chizuru, Flint, and the remaining soldiers who survived.

Looking at the condition of the soldiers made everyone both tense and sad from what they're seeing right now.

Gusion came forward to Chizuru and Lucas who were being healed by the soldiers. "Chizuru can you still fight?"

Chizuru stood up straight and told Gusion in a proud and serious voice. "I can still fight sir!"

Lucas was shocked at what Chizuru answered. "No, she's not sir-"

Smacking Lucas on the head and stopping him from saying what he was supposed to say, Gusion said. "Then Chizuru, go to where Sora and Ruri is, and find Ryou there."

"Sir yes sir!" Chizuru proudly said and ran to the north forest to fulfill what Gusion ordered him.

"Sir Gusion! Can't you see that Chizuru is injured?!"

"Yes, I see that Lucas."

"Then why are you forcing her to fight then!?"

"I didn't force her, she decided to fight on her own Lucas, and remember that I thought you to never decide on what others want Lucas-"

Noticing that Flint was moving in joy and was looking at the south forest, Gusion was confused about what Flint is. "What is that thing, Lucas?"

"That's Flint, Haruki's pet hellhound, and if he's reacting like that, that means Haruki and the others are coming here."

***

[Haruki Hotaru POV]

As we move on the forest, the tall grasses in the forest moved and made a sound as we walk to our designation, and finally me, Talya, Faust, Phenex, and Gremory came out of the forest.

"Flint you're okay!" I shouted in joy, seriously good thing that he's okay.

Flint was licking me back in happiness, that it made me very happy too.

When I looked in front of me, my mind went blank after seeing Lucas severely injured and many of the soldiers' body were scattered on the floor lifeless.

My body shook from pain, sadness, disbelief, and many more after seeing the soldiers tired and injured from the battle.

I want to say that I'm sorry to the soldiers, but I noticed that Talya held my hand and said to me. "You shouldn't apologize big brother Haruki, because even if they're killed they died knowing that they were protecting Hell, so if you show some emotion right now their minds would change."

A man whose face was covered with a mask came to me and bowed. "It's nice to meet you, my King. My name is Gusion."

"It's nice to meet you Gusion." Even if I can't bear the fact that many bodies were killed, I can't show any sign of weakness right now, because Talya is right. I need to make a straight face for now.

Gremory also came forward and bowed too. "I'm sorry that I forgot to greet you properly my King, I'm the Archduke Gremory, it's a pleasure to meet you."

We saw two silhouettes coming from the north side of the forest, and when they got close, Chizuru with a tough-looking guy appeared. "Sir Gusion, I finally got him!"

When that man looked at the soldiers and Lucas, I can see clearly in his eyes that he was in pain, but the way he hides it is nothing like mine.

I'm envious of him that not even his arm or any part of his body was showing any pain, all I can say was that everyone here was an expert with things like this, while me I'm nothing.

The guy then came closer to me and bowed also. "I'm Ryou Behemoth, the inheritor of the former Archduke Behemoth, it's nice to meet you, King Haruki." Ryou said with a happy smile

I replied to him. "It's nice to meet you, Gremory, and Gusion. Ryou." As I said that nervously, I noticed that Chizuru was in pain because she saw that she didn't fulfill her promise of not letting me see a single dead body.

Seeing Chizuru with a face like that, I want to say to her that it's okay even if she didn't successfully do it; because it's impossible, to begin with.

Me not seeing a single body in a war? That's clearly absurd.

Gremory looked at Phenex who was biting her finger from nervousness and shouted at her. "Hey Phenex! Why aren't you introducing yourself to the new Ruler?

"I don't have time for such a useless thing as that, I want to know is when will we go to the 7th floor?"

"Tomorrow." Gusion instantly replied to her.

"What?! Kaka! Don't make me laugh! Because we're gonna go there right now!" Phenex tried to ran, but Gremory caught her.

And by just looking at Phenex trying to escape from Gremory's grasp, all I can see was a child being scolded by her mother.

"Let me go! Let me go! Gremory!"

"*Sigh* I'm not gonna, King Haruki, I know that you're reaction is gonna be like Phenex, so I still want to ask if it's okay if we continue this tomorrow?"

Tomorrow? I don't know if Millie and the others are okay, but by seeing the soldiers here injured I can't leave my pride and duty as their King.

And even if Millie and everyone were here, I know that they'll do the same thing as my decision. "It's okay." Was my answer to Gremory's question.

For now, we have to do this safely than being risky of sacrificing our soldiers.