Bloodless corpses lay scattered across the muddy field. Yet still more charged forward, stomping the dead deeper and deeper into the mud.

Devil and Argalon against the bloodthirsty Dread Knights.

Each wound inflicted upon living flesh only strengthened the dead.

Blade, claw, or teeth. So long as blood could be spilt with it, the Knights relished in using it.

The Knights were not fighting to defeat the enemy. As the Humans did. The did not even fight to kill the enemy, as Monsters did. The Dread Knights fought to inflict as much pain and blood as they could.

Blade and claw did not go for throats or hearts, but for arteries and stomachs.

Cries of pain echoed through the city, reaching even the City Lord in the middle. The scent of copper filled the air, so heavy and oppressive many Humans lost their meals.

Even more lost theirs watching the Knights fight.

A Dread Knight lunged forward, cutting down a Devil before ripping out the exposed throat of an Argalon with its teeth before leaping off and plunging its sharp claws through the eye socket of another Argalon.

Before the three corpses even fell into the churned mud, much of their blood had already been absorbed by the Knight, granting it even more strength and speed to kill.

Watching the battle taking place below the very wall they were bound to protect, a battle between Allied Knights and Hostile Demons, the Human Soldiers were not sure which one was supposed to be the good guys.

The Dread Knights carved their way through flesh like a farmer through a wheat field. Rarely did one fall, and when one did, the blood it absorbed was taken by those nearby.

Alaster ordered the two Death Knights behind him to locate a certain Mage and bring him to him as he watched the massacre below. A massacre he had created. A massacre he enjoyed.

Before they returned, the second wave of Demons began marching forward to assist their comrades in the first wave.

Yet the Machines remained silent, even as the second wave stepped into range.

Growling, Alaster yelled loud enough for the entire half of the wall to hear, "Engineers, use your Machines or I will throw you over the wall myself!"

His command and threat roused the Engineers out of their shock and moments later the second wave began being hit. They scattered in response, but pressed forward, charging forward to aid the first wave.

Sensing their return, Alaster turned to see the two Death Knights carrying a small man by his arms.

"Uhh," The man hesitantly began, fear evident on his face, "You asked for me?"

Alaster smirked at the scene, apparently he would have to be a bit more specific with the Death Knights. They cared little for mortals and even less for comfort or decorum.

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Luckily his Pact Armor covered his face.

"Yes. I have seen your abilities. I wish for you to conjure a large fire wall separating the first and second wave. Can you do it?"

The Death Knights dropped the man in hardened leather armor and a belt of Mana Potions.

The Man hesitantly stepped forward, examining the area he was being asked about, "Aye sir, I can do it, but not well. Not with the intensity required to do much damage to the Demonkind. They will simply step through with maybe the edges of their hair singed."

"That is fine. All I need is something intangible they can't see through."

"Apologizes m'lord, but I am confused as to how that will help our cause."

"And just what is our cause, as you understand it?"

"To protect Onigas?" The man asked, unsure if that is the answer the terrifying man before him was seeking.

"That is a good cause, one that you soldiers should continue striving for. But that is not our cause. Because we can't protect the city. The Demons simply have too many soldiers. If we are passive and merely defend, they will overwhelm us.

It might be tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year. But they will overwhelm us.

Which is why we are not going to fight passively.

Instead, our cause is to make their cause so costly they would prefer peace over continued war.

This means kill every Demon we can. Destroy as many supply caravans. Burn every warehouse.

That is our cause. To sew misery among the Demons.

The first step of this is to block their vision of the first wave. When your wall of fire comes down, they will not find one of their friends standing. Instead they will see only the Knights, and their thirst for more."

"You wish to destroy their morale." The man realized.

"Correct."

"A good plan, but won't the second wave simply jump through and join the first?"

"Few would willingly jump into unknown horrors, least of all one they cannot see. Their officers will, of course, order them through regardless, but have you ever stepped through flames?"

"No sir?"

"It is blinding and takes several moments to recover from. In an ordinary battle, a single moment is an eternity. And against my Knights, a single moment can spell death for a dozen.

Now do it."

The man was still unsure, but he dared not voice his objections to the terror that stood mere feet from him, nor the two giants behind him.

He stepped closer to the edge of the tower and raised his hand. He felt the familiar drain of Mana and watched as a wall of flames erupted from the ground in a half circle fifty yards away from the gate.

The effect was immediate.

The first wave cried out as they saw their only escape route cut off as they were mercilessly cut down.

The second wave hesitated in their advance, allowing many to be blasted apart or filled with arrows.

But as Alaster predicted, the Demon Officers ordered their soldiers forward.

The second wave continued forward, taking cover wherever they could before charging for the next.

One hundred yards.

Eighty yards.

Sixty yards.

The second wave charged through the wall of flames with naught but superficial burns that even a child would ignore. They opened their eyes just six seconds after passing through, only to see that the first wave lay dead, as well as dozens of their own number.

The Dread Knights roared out in glee as they dove into the next wave. So glad they had not run out of enemies to carve.

The second massacre was even faster than the first.

In just ten minutes, Alaster allowed the Mage to dismiss his fire wall, which the man did so with a pale face and near empty belt.

General Feldon watched in shock as he saw not one of his soldiers standing.

Instead, he saw only two hundred Dread Knights, so infused with blood, the channels that ran through their armor was glowing so brightly it was nearly blinding.

The General had ordered his soldiers forward, knowing that only a fraction would return, but hoping that it would reveal some weakness. In the battle on the second day, he had detected a potential flaw on the left side of the gate.

He had ordered the truce in order to clear the way of bodies and rest his men for a push.

Yet his when the time finally came to confirm the flaw, not one soldier reached the wall. Not one would return to the camp. Not one would return to their families.

Not one of four thousand.

Alaster allowed the Demons to see the result of today's battle as the dark clouds above began to cry for the dead.

He wanted to send a single message. A message for the entire Coalition.

"This is the price for our land."

Four thousand lives had been taken that day, and not one had been Human.

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