"Boel," Sanvi said quietly, grasping his arm. The grip was firm, she was just as angry as he was, but she knew they needed to act and fight later.

He knew she was right, that she was in the right. It was Sanvi's grip that kept him from getting any angrier over how fast she dismissed him, but It didn't stop Boel from being angry. He'd do his job first, so that less people die. "Fine. This conversation isn't over, though." He stated, moving to head out.

"Your actions were not your own. They will come around." Xin reassured her.

Christian also stepped into her hand. He looked down at the shard again, slowly becoming lost in its lustrous glimmer.

Solthurax continued to raze wave upon wave of Angels. His armies continued to spill through the tear between the planes and face off with any survivors of their master's wake. The destruction for now seemed almost aimless - as if the sword swings of the Demon King were purely driven by spite, by hatred. As if he strived to destroy as many pawns of the light as he could before continuing his advance towards the heart of their home. Almost unchallenged, he was relishing in the pleasure the suffering brought him.

Yotaizan observed Christian carefully while stepping off of Felicia's hand, hand resting on his sword. If he had to chop off Christian's hand and carry the shard that way so it wouldn't corrupt Christian, he would do so.

Boel took a deep breath, putting on a positive face once more. "Alright, let's do this." He remarked to the air as he stepped through.

“We must hurry,” Sanvi said as Solthurax spotted them, “and hope Justine makes good on her word.” She dashed through the portal behind him before it snapped shut. A shield shimmered to life on her arm. “I will shield you.”

“You two go, I will be there soon. Corinne will know how to summon me,” Felicia said, her face strained.

Corinne looked towards the portal. When they came back..everything was going to change. It already had. What was there to lose now?

Felicia nodded slowly, standing back up as they got off her hand.

"You are not alone," Sanvi reminded up as she kept her eyes on Solthurax, standing at Boel's back. Justine...where are you?

Xin looked up from his tea, "They have returned with what they sought. Come." He said solemnly. He stood up and walked for the courtyard.

Christian passed through and found himself back in the courtyard. He spied Xin stood in the doorway, hands inside the sleeves of his robes. He put his free hand to his chest and bowed his head briefly, "We have it."

Solthurax slowed to a halt as their portal closed behind them. He growled and turned instead for the rift he'd tore open. He couldn't advance too far before having to stop and shield himself with his wings as two beams struck him. He grunted and peered through the blinding light, spotting Justine, "At last and too late, the Arch Divine reveals herself." 

"No." Saul said gesturing for Wry to lower their arms, "They're foes of the Demons too." 

But why're the Divine outside of their defences? Just the two? There had to be a reason.

"Whatever they plan to do, we make sure they succeed." Saul said after a moment of hesitation. A flush of new energy revitalised him as their appearance gave him a wisp of hope there might be a solution. A method of driving the armies back. There was so many of them and no matter how many perished the numbers didn't seem to thin. 

“No Boel, we have to knock down the arch, take at least one artifact,” Sanvi said, nodding towards the archway. She slammed her shield against a demon, and it exploded into shimmering ash from the divine energy.

Corinne peered around Xin at those who had returned. Her eyes caught Yotaizan’s, watching where he moved to the wall.

Felicia rubbed her forehead, thinking of the castle, where her mother had once hung. Solthurax was likely not currently on this plane, if he needed her, so she could help without fear. At least until her power chills out. She moved her hand, a rift opening beside the castle, towering over the hordes.

"You must face Solthurax within this plane and shatter his fragment's prison." Xin pointed to the shard, "Make him whole and the bindings keeping him on this plane will be broken."

Christian nodded. He hid the pain the shard was causing him. His arm was close to quivering and he dreaded to think what would've happened were he not shielded by his curse. He glanced at Corrine briefly. How would she fare watching her old master fail?

"I do not care what epiphanies you may have had!" Solthurax hissed before turning around. He started to move for the rift once more, determined to stop two Divine from impeding his invasion.

A shadow swept over Saul and he turned around as he noticed the new combatant. He'd mistaken her for an Angel initially before taking a second glance. A Fairy? He didn't question it, not with the battle at hand. He raised the pillar he was stood on to reach even taller heights before taking a deep breath. With a frigid cold growing in one palm and lightning crackling in the other he raised his arms. The wind picked up once more as a storm brewed - this time in light's favour. The weather grew more and more violent and thunder boomed. Saul cried out for a moment as he committed more and more of his energy to the spell. More than he'd ever cared to use before. Sharp pains took his body as his magic continued to burn away. 

A blizzard broke out across the battlefield and battered the forces of Hell - their fires stifling in the face of the cold. Between the hail and shards of ice that now rained from the skies and bested the meteors came the lightning. Bolts that smited any Demon that dared fly towards Saul in an effort to interrupt him. The sky lit up in explosions as Solthurax's meteors clashed with the weather and the dragon-riding generals were forced to reluctantly fly lower and lower - the destruction brought forth by their mount's breath weakened.

Xin felt the wind pick up and noticed the shift in weather patterns. Their time was running out, "Enough now. Go!" He said sharply.

Instead, Solthurax was rewarded with another unhealthy beam of holy light, but this time, to the face. Justine took a step forward, expressionless. "Not even here to amuse me for a little bit?" She feigned disappointment. "Coming so far to not even finish it."

Get a grip. Lydia shook herself out of her thoughts. "Let's get back to the others," she turned to Josh.

"He is right." Xin agreed with Josh, "The Demons will make a point of tearing apart a would-be usurper to their Lord. You will strain the focuses of your guardian."

Christian looked up at the enormous gateway. It stole his breath away - a glimpse of the Heavens. His armour burned up furiously as it both reviled the light before him and the darkness that sat in his palm which promptly send a chill through him. He looked over to Corinne, "One last great evil to quell."

And then the group were knocked aside as a metallic shadow bolted from the portal towards the castle. Before long and with torn Angels and Demons alike in his wake. Solthurax's servant, a knight clad in black, burst through the courtyard doors and stopped before the two Divine that tampered with his master's device. His weapon sat idle in his hand, pulsing with the essences of the Sovereign it was forged from.

Solthurax grunted as the beam pushed him a few steps backwards. He hissed, "Oh, I'll finish things. That's why your servants must die." He launched his own blast of hellfire back in greater power. The heat of it scorched the wings of passing Angels.

Saul breathed sharply as his magic threatened to burn out. His. He'd heard of the phenomenon but never experienced it himself. He'd not even considered it possible. He looked down at the ensuing destruction on both sides of the battle. His own men had joined the fray and suffered casualties as they tried to hold the back lines. This day had humbled him.

Lydia reluctantly agreed with a slight nod. "You should go, they'll need all the help they can get," she turned to Josh.

"You're losing your touch, Solthurax," Justine responded, already having to protect what she can. "I expected better."