In the capitol of the Dukedom under Duke Astaropth many people were going about their business. Unlike the lives of mages, where action and threats were around every corner, most of the common people lived normal day to day lives. The special events in their lives were about eating an extra snack, if their pocket money allowed them to do so.
In a busy market, people were haggling over the price of cheap fish as if they were extraordinary. The smells emanating from the stall spread over the entire market, the only saving grace was the fact they didn't have to hear the wet squelching when the fishmonger gutted them.
People from all walks of life came here, even mages were hidden among them. When it came to mages, especially the lower Ranking ones, they lived lives not too dissimilar to those without powers.
Among the local populace was a younger demon that had just finished up his school. Having a certificate in hand, he didn't know what to do next. After working so hard, he had hoped to work as an architect. Yet despite his good grades, he didn't have any kind of connection to the real world.
Going around, he tried to find out about businesses that specialized in his area, but there weren't any vacancies, so all he could do was wait. As he sat on the rim of a fountain in the middle of the market, he faced the red sky above.
The everlasting red smog was still creating a thick blanket in the sky. The boy wanted to know what it was like to fly through it like mages could, but that dream was far off.
As he lowered his head, he stared at the ground. People were walking through one another, making a mess of unstructured paths, all intertwining. The boy started to get lost in thoughts about his future as he focused on a small pebble on the ground.
People seemed to carefully walk around it or perhaps it was all a big coincidence, but the pebble stayed nice in place despite the chaos surrounding it. As his thoughts seemed to get stranger and stranger, he noticed the pebble move slightly.
It wasn't much at first, he didn't even give it any attention, but at a certain point it started to make small jumps. Pulled out of his stupor, he straightened his back as he saw the little rock make jumps to the sky. Placing his hands on the rim of the fountain, he felt slight vibrations, turning around, he saw the unquiet water getting rippled over and over despite nobody throwing in coins.
The vibrations got noticeable enough to have caught the attention of some passerby. People started to look around to find a cause as the boy felt drawn to the sky.
There he saw it.
In the sky high up above, the red smog started to twist. A slight change in the everlasting dense clouds was cause for more than panic. But the boy wasn't even sure what he was seeing, it looked beautiful from his view. At first he found it intriguing, only for it to grow out of control, his own fears unable to be contained within.
As the boy kept his eyes on the sky, a small vortex started to appear above them. Some people noticed the panicked look on the boy and joined his sight as they raised their heads.
The vortex looked small from the ground, but some started to realize the scale as the vortex seemed to grow further and further.
"Hey!", a man grabbed a nearby mage and pointed to the sky as the ground below them started to shake heavier, "You're a mage, right?! What's happening?"
Many joined in on the man's question, staring at the lone mage for answers that were never there to begin with. "I'm just a Rank 1 mage, magic is normally on a small scale. This... for this... you'd need to be a... god," the hopelessness in his voice made the flame of panic settle in the hearts of everyone who heard it.
Right as mass panic would set out, the earth shook heavily, making many fall to the ground. The center of the vortex started to expand into a large black nothingness. The endless space above the red smog was finally visible after eons. Many had never seen the void from so up close.
They wanted to run, to scream, to find their loved ones, but they all froze in place as the void quickly expanded, creating a massive hole in the sky as it grasped them tight. As if stuck in a vise, their eyes expanded to encompass the everlasting darkness.
The earth shook heavily, as glass panes all around market started to shatter from the vibrations. Being covered in tiny crystals that got under their as red as blood skin mattered little in front of the very space above them breaking in the exact same way.
The heaven cracked. Not like glass. Like something that had never meant to be broken. As if the window of their dimension was collapsing, cracks were visible in the bare sky as the fabric of reality was torn apart as a blinding light shone from the pitch black.
Basked in it's radiance, people dared not avert their eyes, fearing what might come from the searing light. After feeling it dim slightly, people braved the unknown once more to focus on the center only to reveal the source of light wasn't a star or sun.
High up in the sky, surrounded by an endless black, a single spotless hand of pure light emerged from the shattered panes of space. Or something that insisted on being one. Without imperfections, the ladylike hand slowly lifted her finger as the world of Sabaoth quacked in fear.
The populace didn't dare move, fully engrossed in the scenes before them. Feeling like insects in front of such majesty, their life was forfeit. No running or fighting would result in anything, and the dawning realization of that simple fact made a fickle flame of despair light up in their hearts.
As the hand seemed to grasp the space around the planet, the smog around the planet started to shift and churn. In a reckless final attempt, the world was willing to push back. From the dark red depths, an old, decrepit, hand rose to the sky to meet it's counterpart. The hand was dark, as if the blood inside it's veins had started to clot, the long fingers and nails were no more than knuckles and bone covered in loose and bruised skin.
It's magnificence paled in comparison, yet the boy felt it instinctively, this dark hand was his only hope for survival.
The stretched out fingers of the dark hand grasped the wrist of it's bright counterpart. People stared at the spectacle as if giants were playing a game high above them, the beings hidden behind space, only their imagination could lead them to think of the monstrous entities capable of such a thing.
Grasping the wrist tight, the ladies fingers snapped once, disintegrating their saving grace in an explosion of light. As if a new star had appeared above them, they shielded themselves.
Readying themselves for whatever scene would be high up, they stared once, only to find a single glowing hand with slightly stretched out fingers. A moment of silence descended on the market, a pause, enough for everyone to try to comprehend what just happened.
There was no heat, no warmth. Just light.
Right as people thought to stand back up, a shockwave from the explosion, pushed them all to ground, destroying anything fickle standing in its way. The boy held his head in pain as he dared to lift his head once more to see something had changed.
From the tips of the massive hand, streams of Light appeared. As if rivers came from her nails, they flowed downwards as waterfalls. Four of the steams spread in the cardinal directions and branched off multiple times as the final fifth stream was headed straight for them.
The boy despaired as the life he envisioned was over. Anything he wished to accomplish in the future had become an impossibility as the deeds he achieved in the past were for naught.
Looking up at the spectacle above him, the life and world as he knew it was over.
---
The Duke stood in his office as he stared at the sky with eyes filled with rage. His fist were clenched tightly, "This is too soon! They said it would at least take another year!"
"The information was valid! I even had it checked!", Lord Alastor was certain, nothing seemed off in the slightest. His calculations were perfect, not a single variable was left alone.
"She deceived us! What the hell have those spies been doing?!", the Duke waved his hand as the room broke apart from his aura. The ground cracked as part of the ceiling caved in.
"Asta! You're losing your composure!", opposing his friend, Lord Alastor tried to calm him down, "She still has to follow the law! She can't send out more than two Rank 6 mages. We can still secure victory! We continued the culture of prioritizing strength and each Dukedom has prepared enough forces to deal with it!"
"That's not nearly enough! Do you believe that bitch will follow procedure? She just blocked all warp gates out of here!", having no means of escape, Lord Alastor paused for but a moment.
"Perfect! That means everyone will try twice as hard to get out! Nobody is going to run and hide now!"
"Dammit Alastor! That's not how it's going to work!"
The Duke and Lord Alastor had never truly lost their cool, as they always had time and room to think clearly. Now, She suddenly broke all conventions and broke the space around their planet to start a clear invasion.
"Listen Asta. We stick to the plan we have. You and the other Dukes focus on getting rid of the Rank 5 mages. The Demon King and Demon God will take the Rank 6 mages and all the remaining forces will fight the invading humans. We have enough men to hold them back!"
The Duke stared at the massive explosion in the sky, their God had failed, but the two friends had expected as much. Frowning and clicking his tongue, he punched his desk into smithereens, since nothing mattered now.
"Asta. Now's the time."
Taking a deep breath, he readied himself, "Gather the Guardians," he spoke to the open air, but the butler knew when to act as he quickly rushed out to sound the alarm. "Alastor. Can I count on you?"
The lord smiled softly, all the things they were working towards were finally going to have to pay off, or else, all their work would be for nothing. "I've prepared the room in advance. I just didn't think it would be right on time."
"Let's just get out of this mess. We can deal with whatever comes next. Drug those men into believing whatever is necessary. Just make sure we have a planet to return to when we're done."
Nodding slightly in response, Lord Alastor knew that the battle he would have to wage would be on a completely different scale than his friend. Moving to a secluded room in the Duke's castle, Lord Alastor entered without delay. The room was covered in dozens if not hundreds of arrays all with a single goal in mind.
The Duke quickly regrouped with his underlings, each flushed with fear and anxiety clearly displayed on their faces. The Duke's frown didn't help stabilize their internal feelings in the slightest.
"Listen, men!", snapping them out of their stupor, the Duke released part of his aura, "The Holy Kingdom has invaded Sabaoth. If you feel scared you might not make it out alive of this war, I'll tell you this. They have come here with a single goal in mind, to exterminate our race. There's no point in running away or hiding. The only choice we have left as a species, is to bite back like the cornered dog we are!"
The Guardians gulped, the serious tone of the Duke and his visible anger genuinely put them on edge. "The world will soon be flooded with troops. Don't give up your hope yet. Together with the Demon God, we have prepared for this war meticulously. We have the assurance the strongest forces will be kept to what we can handle. Together with the Demon King and the other Dukes, we will force them back in the deep parts of space."
The Duke hurried to the treasury and blasted the doors open. "But while we will be fighting them out there, our planet will be exposed to them. The other Dukes have been raising similar forces like yourself to defeat their Rank 4 mages. Take anything you need from here," gesturing to all the weapons and gold, the Duke cared little about what would happen to his funds.
"All I ask of you, is that when I return from space, I still have a planet left to fight for. Don't let this be my last order to you," with that, the Duke let the Guardians plunder his vault, but they didn't move in the slightest.
Not sensing any sign of movement, he turned around to find the Guardians kneeling down. "You need not worry, my Lord! We will make sure we are victorious!", Yaldor spoke loudly, with the other Guardians joining him.
Their loyalty on display, the Duke couldn't feel any happier, but he also knew that the chances him seeing them again were exasperatingly low. Not letting his own feelings show, he helped Yaldor get back up.
"I thank you all, let's gather near the castle after this."
The Guardians nodded as the Duke left them. He didn't need to give them more instructions or directions on where to go. The fight would be all around them, no need to look for a target.
Quickly stepping outside, he let two wings sprout from his back. The bones and velvety hide burst through his skin, covering them in crimson. With this, he didn't need to activate any magic to fly, making room in his head for other spells. It was something small in the grand scheme of things, but it might be just enough to get out of this alive.
Taking to the sky, he looked at the streams of Light that dispersed around the world. The gross display of power right in front of him didn't make him scared in the slightest, it only enraged him.
It didn't take long before his isolation in the sky ended as 12 other high Ranking demons joined his side. "Duke Alastor, looks like your place will take the first hits," gesturing to the stream of Light that was going right towards the capital, the Duke didn't show any kind of emotion.
"Duke Vesper, you better have finished your troops in time."
"Already hitting where it hurts, huh? Don't worry, I didn't fulfill my quota in the normal sense, but I can promise they'll be more than powerful enough to handle those mages," Vesper had a sly smile on his face, but the Duke didn't bother thinking about what he meant. As long as the goal was achieved, nothing else mattered.
"I believe this will be a tough battle, so let's help each other as much as we can," another Duke spoke up with a light helpful tone, but he only got scorned gazes from his colleagues.
Duke Alastor stood at the front as he was the strongest among the group, "Duke Arbor, I will create a space where there's oxygen, use any kind of plant that can aid us," he cared little about insulting the lone failure of a Duke as he went around explaining his plan.
Other Dukes showed up one after another, each with their own concerns and ambitions. But in front of the massive hand of Light, all their differences were put aside as their mutual goal of survival was the only thing left.
Under the leadership of the Duke Alastor, a plan was formed on the spot using each of the Duke's specialty or strongest element. Some felt a bit worried that all their spells seemed to have been figured out by their leader, but this wasn't the time to be worrying about it.
"Let's get going. The faster we can finish this, the faster we can aid our men," the Duke easily took the lead, for he had both gotten the attention of the Demon God and Demon King, something neither of the Dukes had ever had the blessing of getting.