Streaks of fire arched through the air. Sailing over the towering walls and crashing into the city beyond.

Crews of Earth and Water Mages run through the city, extinguishing as many fires as they could, reinforcing areas that needed it, and using Warriors to excavate and rescue anyone trapped.

Despite the city burning and crumbling, only a few paid it any attention.

They were too busy with the threat in front of them to spare a thought about the threat behind.

Devils and Argalon continuously climbed the ladders as others loosed arrows at the defenders. Their broken and bleeding corpses lined the field, forming piles beneath each ladder.

The Humans fought back with everything they had. The archers attempted to keep the enemy off the walls by targeting the vulnerable ones climbing, but they only helped to stem the tide, not stop it. The Mages used their various Magics to disrupt any groups or eliminate any leaders they could spot.

Alaster watched all of this from a tall tower, the engineers rushed to keep their engines operating and raining hell upon the Demons, but they stayed away from him and his Death Knights.

Standing atop the tower, Alaster watched one of Lezrum's Skeletons diving over the battlements, clinging to a Devil that had just reached the top of the ladder. She lost her footing and fell from the ladder, landing with a sickening crunch of the neck.

She did not get up.

Lezrum's Undead continued to flow over the wall, though they did little except disrupt the Demons and occasionally taking one down.

Short swords were used by the Humans to dispatch the Demons. Their short-range allowing them much easier use in the cramped area of the battlements. Spears were used against the Argalon, using their large size against them, though usually just using the spears to push the Argalon back over the wall.

It had already been an hour since the siege began in earnest, though neither side had yet to deploy their true force.

Alaster suspected the Demons would continue to use their trebuchets against the city interior for several days, hoping to weaken the defenders before they truly pushed forward.

That is what he would do if he had all the time in the world, as these Demons suspected they did.

And in truth, it was the correct assumption.

This army of Demons was far from the only one. Anyone that could have sent aid to Onigas was either already under attack, had already fallen, or were too scared to render aid when they did not know when they would be attacked next.

The Demons did not know about the tunnels, so to them, it was only a matter of time before the city either ran out of food, or ran out of Humans defending it.

If the Majority of Demons were not anxious to reclaim their home world, it was quite possible they would have simply sat back, fortified their siege camps, and simply starved out the defenders of all Human Cities.

Though Alaster theorized the possibility that they felt a need to rush the conquest, past the simple desire to reclaim what they lost. He had no real ideas, but he kept thinking about it.

A fun mental project.

Though he suspected just about everyone he knew hitting him if they knew he referred to it as a fun project.

Not that he was going to tell them. They were busy anyway.

City Lord Keylan was observing the battle from his Castle allowing him to watch the entire city and direct as needed as he saw it happen or read the reports as they constantly flooded in.

Lord Siphas was helping the soldiers at the foot of the interior wall manage supplies, and bringing the injured down. With him there, the chaos was at least controlled. The injured were moved and treated in order of severity. The arrows and siege ammunition never stopped moving towards their intended destination.

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Arthur and Astrid was helping inside one of the many hospitals that had been set up. Together they were saving lives, all while bringing one into the world. Alaster found that strangely comforting. Regardless, they were out of harms way, as that particular hospital was too close to the wall for any trebuchet to reach them.

As for Evelyn and her friends, Alaster had managed to convince them that the best help they could provide in the early days of this siege would be ensuring the citizens and important belongings were evacuated. They found themselves under the command of the Station Foreman, though Alaster had forgotten his name.

Alaster did not move as he spoke just loud enough for the Death Knights right behind him to hear over the screams and roars of battle, "You Death Knights progress in power by merely being nearby death? How is your progress at the moment?"

"We absorb more if we deal the killing blow, but yes." One explained.

"Right now, we would be comparable to a Human with a Level in the high fifties, low sixties."

"And the Minions you can summon?"

"Comparable to a Level thirty, roughly." The first answered.

"And how fast are you progressing amidst this battle?" Alaster asked, watching an Argalon be pushed over the edge and fall.

"Once more using Human terms, we are progressing a single level every week. At this rate."

"How does that compare to the average day in the Deep?"

"Incomparable. The Living have more energy to offer in death than the Dead. Though admittedly, the battles are much more frequent, common, vast, and vicious."

"Good. I will be distracted for a moment, alert me should anything of importance happen."

The two Knights bowed their heads, "Yes Master."

Alaster turned his attention to the Master of his first Legion.

'How are things going for Zalar, Catherine?'

Catherine only blinked as her Master's words entered her mind. She stood atop a Zalarian City Wall, watching as the BRT-7's she had helped install were finally being put to use.

Their installation had gone smoothly, albeit with a few mishaps. Luckily, none of these mishaps had proven catastrophic, else the massive wall she stood on would not be there.

The BRT's had been installed for several days before they saw use, allowing their engineers to fine tune their aim and practice speed loading. Today, the Demons had finally managed to push the Zalarians back, and pushed in far enough for the BRT's to finally showcase their effectiveness.

Far from the city walls, within the deep interconnecting trenches, the Zalarians fought against the Demons. Using their Melee Golems to fight inside the cramped confines of the trenches and their Firearms to punish any Demon foolish enough to peek.

The once shiny and polished metal of the Golems and the armor of the soldiers were now dull with dents, scratches, blood, and mud. An inconceivable amount of mud. Covering everything and everyone.

Every inch the Demons claimed, they paid with piles of their dead, which only served to further hinder and delay them.

But those inches steadily grew into feet.

Progress was slow, but constant. Sometimes, the Zalarians would manage to push back, but they never kept their reclaimed land for long.

Not even the nights were calm.

The constant explosions and Magic lit up the night sky like a festival.

It was inevitable that the Demons would push as far as they had. In a way, Catherine had been anxiously waiting for it. She wanted to see how effective the BRT's would be.

Despite supervising the installment, she was not the one who commanded them, nor did their inventor. Instead, an experienced commander of a crew that manned one of the massive Mana Cannons atop the city wall was tasked with the BRT's and their use.

He was a short man, with a potbelly and bushy beard, though he was completely Human, and grew quite irritable if someone compared his work to a Dwarf's. Despite his appearance, he was wise and tough. When he had been assigned to this position, he had read through every single blueprint of the BRT.

It had taken him quite some time, but now, he knew the BRT's better than many of their actual operators. Felix refused to use a machine he did not know.

"Sir, all BRT's loaded and aimed." One of the Operators shouted.

"I want all coordinates double checked! The first volley will be the most effective as the bastards won't be expecting it! I want it to be right!" Felix exclaimed, his words being carried up and down the wall to all the Operating Crews with messengers.

A few minutes passed, with a Crew or two adjusting once more.

"All coordinates received, imputed, and doublechecked sir!"

Felix nodded, "Lets make Hell look like a paradise! Fire!"

The BRT's rang out, each one producing the sound similar to a lightning spell as the barrels produced a small cloud of dark gray smoke.

Ignoring the standing order to reload each BRT as soon as they could, every single Engineer looked up to watch the primed cannisters soar through the air.

It was almost graceful, though only Catherine was able to track the small objects fly at such a distance.

Thirty seconds later, Catherine suspected Hell did look favorable for the Demons.

The cannisters unleashed a brilliant explosion of fire, death, and agony. Each one capable of clearing a several Meter radius. The Trenches only helped to funnel the carnage.

One hundred cannisters.

A single volley had destroyed several miles worth of trenches and thousands of lives.

Alaster watched through the eyes of a Shadow Assassin next to Catherine, impressed and a little proud.

'Keep up the good work.'

Alaster returned his attention to the battle before him. Rolling his shoulders, Alaster conjured a dozen Death Bombs above and behind him, each one quickly growing in size.

Alaster smirked, "Don't want to be upstaged, do we?"

Before he too delivered death from above upon his enemy.

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