The Long Night Part One: Embers in the Dusk: A Planetary Governor Quest (43k) Complete Sequel Up

An Insult Returned

At the pole of the world, this battle of the never-ending war was beginning to run to a close, the power and authority given by the Gilded Tyrant almost expended while the threat of the Daemons was beginning to run dry in the face of the Guardian's Wrath.

No mere Second Circle could hope to contend with the will of one of the twelve kingdoms, for as it had ever been only the Prime Daemons had ever been able to break through their wall and allow the daemons to spill onto the World to desecrate it least of with the Great Serpent standing guard over their heads. And thus they had made it their duty to record every Prime that did so, record the deaths and insults against them so that they could repay them a thousand fold.

But there were few graver insults than what this Prime was attempting to do, to summon another of its kind and bypass their wall entirely. To try and deny their purpose and let one strike the World without paying a toll.

This would not stand.

Fully half of the twelve kingdoms gathered themselves, trillions of minds coming together in six vast conglomerations of mental fortitude and psycic strength, building their power together as they focused their attention across the war torn land and oceans towards the Angyl that had shattered the walls of the human city and was tearing through their defenders like they were wheat before a scythe.

It had been allowed to continue its rampage for too long. Far too many had already paid the price for their inability to halt its predecessor. They would drive it back.

The Angyl detected their first strike and moved immediately to counter it, the might of its court springing to its assistance as their first rebuke landed, conjuring a five layered golden shield, the first layer deflecting their attack, but breaking with an almighty crash.

The Angyl had turned back to its assault, believing the attempt was over, the pitiful attempt of desperate and humiliated xenos.

But, while they may have been humiliated, they were far from desperate. As one the other five kingdoms released their attacks, the four remaining layers of the shield shattering almost instantaneously, while the sixth and final strike, empowered by the lingering strength of the previous attacks careened into the First before it had any time to react.

Yet, for all that it was unprepared and overconfident, the First was still an Exalted Daemon, a practical avatar and embodiment of a Great God of Chaos, with all the power that came with it.

Its gilded wings strained as it placed it sword in the path of the attack, straining against the combined will of a nation its court already drained by assisting their master in creating such a powerful barrier so quickly and were unable to assist it.

But, even as it squared its shoulders and drew deeply on its power it was forced backwards, its feet collapsing hab-blocks has they were thrust aside by a creature of utterly immobile flesh, the Angyl slowly being forced backwards from the city, unharmed but delayed and weakened.

Until that is it was distracted. A small piercing pain in its left foot, but one that cut straight to its very soul, as Jane Oakheart the Inevitable darted through its weakened bodyguards to plunge the Sword of the Tempest into the vulnerable daemon.

Under normal circumstances this would have been a death sentence, with the Arbiter's body slain on the spot and her soul seized to spend all of eternity enjoying every punishment the administratum of torment could conceive. But this was not a normal situation. Instead of being flayed on every level for her attack, instead she distracted the Angyl for a single moment from its defence, the soul slicing attack on its essence shocking and terrifying the Angyl.

With a sound reminiscent of an orbital barrage the flaming sword was forced to the side as the beam of unmaking energy impacted the stomach of the Angyl directly, flinging it from the city where it collapsed, wounded, weakened and humiliated, sprawled upon the ground outside of the breach that it had created forced to listen to the taunting cries of laughing penguins.

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You better not run, you better not hide, cause these penguins going to kick your arse tonight.

@Durin