"Darren!!!" Synthia said in surprise, and all of them stared at him in shock. It has been over two weeks now since he has been exiled into the forest, and by all logic, he should be dead. He should have ran out of holy energy, and then subsequently ripped apart by beasts. That was the fate they has chosen for him. But that wasn't the only thing that was different about him, being this close, they could sense the energy that leaked from him, something neither holy nor profane. An abomination.
"I can understand your surprise, I didn't think I would be alive this long either, but you know what kept me going..." He said, and his face, which was as pale as a sheet of paper, his eyes, which had golden irises and black sclera, curved into a crescent moon like shape, and his mouth, which had pale blue lips, widened inhumanly wide, revealing stitches at the edges of his mouth, straining to keep it together.
"The thought of ripping you hypocrites apart!!" He roared and his aura flared, making everyone tense, as they could tell that he was a tier 5 now.
"Hypocrites?" Sera snorted
"This coming from the demon hater who became an abomination himself, something worse than demons themselves." Sera said with disgust evident in her voice
"It's true, I have become an abomination, through no choice of my own. If you want to blame someone then blame your hypocrite angel friends." Darren said and they stiffened.
"What are you talking about?" Castiel asked, a bit feeling welling up in the pit of his stomach, and Darren's smile widened even more.
"How do you think I came to be the way I am now? It was all thanks to one of your angel friends. He killed- well, broke my neck and then dragged me through a portal to the underworld. I was ripped apart, put back together and forced to fight for my survival for weeks. All because your angel friends and those demon bastards." Darren said with disdain in his voice, his eyes trembling violently in rage. Castiel wanted to ask more about these angels, but Mr. Ziek placed his hands on his shoulder and shook his head.
"Then why not help us, help us take down the demons and angels who caused you so much suffering." Mr. Ziek said, and Darren looked up at him, and laughed, a laugh that sounded like a dozen of his own voice overlapping each other. The laugh became shriller and shriller by the second, making the ten angels wince.
"Join you? You guys threw me to the lions for trying to kill demons and now you want me to join you to do the same. No, I have a better idea, I'll kill you all. Demons, Angels and the humans that are infected by the your holy filth!! From now on, I will be the herald of a new race, one that is stronger than demons, stronger than angels!! And this realm will become our home, and so I will purge all of you in the flames of Ether!! From now on, I will be known of Darren, the Herald of Ether!!" He said, putting his mask back on his face and with every word, his aura seems burn brighter. The angels quickly took out their weapons, preparing for battle. Both Mr. Ziek and Sera quickly went back to their full divine form, and a golden swirling portal opened beside them and they quickly took out their weapons as well.
"All of that sounded pretty interesting, I would love to talk more about it." A voice said, and everyone looked over at the top of a tall tree, on which stood Damian, he was still in the disguise of an oni. As everyone stared at him, he ignored them and turned towards Synthia.
"Do you require assistance?" Damian asked, and the Darren laughed
"You guys can't help yourselves can you. Even after that other left, you just can't help but consort with demons. Even back then you guys relied on that guy, and now him, pathetic." Darren laughed mockingly and the angels gripped their weapons even tighter, making their knuckles turn even white.
"We do not need your help demon." Sera said irritatedly, and Damian shrugged before sitting down, and opening his [Demonic Inventory] and took out the barbequed leg of some giant beast and took a bite.
"Fine by me, but you really should have accepted my help." He said after swallowing his food, and turned towards the city. They followed his gaze, but everything looked alright.
"You guys can't see it? I guess you aren't used to fighting someone that uses illusions." He said and a wave of powerful demonic energy escaped his body, and the entire area shimmered. The image of the Death Feys behind Darren simmered, and the entire space around them soon followed. Seeing this, their eyes widened and Darren started to cackle maniacally.
"Haaaah." Sera said and her aura flared, and a powerful wave of holy energy was released, completely shattering the illusion. The area around them was dead, with the trees and smaller flora drooping and looking fragile and they could feel the potent [Death Affinity] around them. In the distance, they could hear the sounds of screams and explosions, and looking in the distance, they could see the Death Feys attacking the barrier, while the humans defended with holy arrows, but it was barely slowing them down.
"Do you really think I talked so much because I felt like telling you stuff?" Darren said mockingly, and the angels gritted their teeth
"You're welcome by the way." Damian said casually, adding insult to injury. Synthia and Castiel tried to fly towards the city, but a monster stopped them, a Doom Fey. This was the tier 5 evolution of the Death Fey, and it was as tall as an adult human with an even wider wingspan and an even more sinister smile. Realizing that these two weren't going to allow them to leave, they couldn't help but grit their teeth.
"Synthia, call the ants." Sera said, and Synthia's eyes widened, before a smirk appeared on her face.