*Azrathos pov*
They burned.
The wounds they still burned it was as if my magic refused to help heal the injuries left behind by that accursed human.
At this rate, I will die before I can even organize the troops.
"GAH!" I yelled in a mix of pain and anger as I tried to push my magic into the wounds
"He is crafty." A voice reached my ears causing my head to lift gently
I couldn't help but scoff as I saw the intruder, "What do you want Zackariah, you hid the whole time. Coward." I spat at his feet as I rose to my own easily towering over the angel
Zackariah shrugged with his trademark pleasant smile, "I had to, Morpheus probably thinks your his biggest worry right now. And they already revealed all of their traps, the humans wont know what's happening before it's over."
A low snarl left my lips, "if you and your men were with us the first time we wouldn't be in this situation."
"Hmmm. Wrong sorry!" Zackariah beamed, "You should really get those wounds looked at." his fake concern was disgusting
"I'll be fine, have your generals meet us in the war room, burn away all corpses near the camps I've heard Morpheus has far too many methods Involving them. Too much has gone into breaking this anchor we cannot fail." I hate Zackariah and he hates me but,
We will work together to accomplish our goal or else we will be too far behind in this war.
And our people will die.
*Morpheus pov*
Annoyance, yes annoyance was my main feeling after dealing with this mess. Honestly, I shouldn't be alive. I may have performed copious amounts of rituals on myself but I'm still only slightly stronger than a normal human.
Azrathos, was stronger than I expected. Partly because my ward was off. I made it far too hastily and with such a complicated ward scheme such as creating an area with no magic. You truly need a little more time and preparation.
If the ward was slightly stronger then Azrathos would have been weaker. And I would have killed the pest easily.
Ahh, when my brother learns of this he will die of laughter.
The great Morpheus failed.
"When did I teach you all this ward scheme again?" I asked the room of master ward crafters that have gathered
One of them a woman, hesitated before stepping forward, "We tried truly. The anti-magic ward is much harder to learn than what we thought. Honestly, just studying it is enough to improve our skills." he admitted somewhat sheepishly
Shaking my head I couldn't help but sigh, "It is to be expected, the cost is far too high for repeated practice unlike less advanced wards." this is an issue this ward scheme is a must-need for this war
The woman who I remember is named Rachel looked at her companions, "If we just had a little more time," she reasoned
Henry a ward master from Arizona I believe nodded his head, "Yes, we just need a little more time." his eyes narrowed, "It's hard to learn something like this while your friends and family are dying and we are in the middle of a war we have no choice participating in."
To most people, it would be odd to be in a room and helping people who obviously don't like you.
For me its normal. I understand where they are coming from.
"I understand you are all under a lot of stress, but you have one of the most important positions in this war. The anti-magic ward is a vital weapon against these creatures." I looked at the twelve-ward masters and thought of a plan
"Okay, break off into groups of three. I'd suggest having the people you are most familiar with to be in your group it would make this a lot easier." I said while dissecting the example on the table
Looking up I saw they were in four groups, "Alright, this is what we will be doing for now on. Each of you will learn a section of the ward, and master your section. I have broken the ward into three sections one for each group member. You will now be operating in groups, once you are ready go to the commander he knows where the wards need to be placed."
Rachel stepped forward, "Wont the ward be less effective though? Our magic will be colliding for control."
"You're right, the ward will be weaker but, that is the cost we have to pay for having a time constraint," I replied
Troy who was quiet until now nodded, "Okay we can do this."
"Good." I took a bundle of herbs from my pouch and lit it, "This is a bundle of mixed herbs, it will help clear your mind."
"Good luck."
*Narrator pov*
The war council convened in the heart of the canyon, deep within a hidden alcove where the rock formations muffled sound and concealed them from prying eyes. A conjured wooden table stood at the center, maps and enchanted diagrams hovering above it, flickering with shifting battle formations. The wizards gathered around were not politicians or bureaucrats, they were war mages, battle-hardened hit wizards, and ICW enforcers, men and women who had seen the horrors of combat and lived to tell the tale.
Morpheus stood among them, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable. His body ached from the battle, but there was no time for rest. The first wave had been repelled—barely. A second attack was inevitable, and this time, they would be prepared.
At the head of the table, Grand Enforcer Aldric Vael of the ICW tapped his wand against the floating map, causing the canyon's terrain to shift and glow. His voice was low and sharp, carrying the weight of command. "The first assault cost us dearly. We held, but only just. If we don't reinforce these positions, the next attack will break us."
Maximilius Silverstein, representing the hit wizards, leaned forward, his face grim. "Azrathos knows we're going to be ready this time. He'll throw everything at us to make sure we don't get another chance to set traps. That means we need to rethink our approach."
A witch clad in dark combat robes, Olivia Zhang, a specialist in large-scale defensive enchantments, flicked her wand, adjusting the floating map. "We relied on the natural formations of the canyon last time, but we need to augment them. I propose we reshape parts of the terrain itself—reinforce the walls, transfigure the rock into fortifications, create bottlenecks where we can force them into kill zones."
An older battlecaster from the American contingent, Marcus Hale, nodded. "Agreed. We lost too many on the canyon floor. We need higher ground dominance. Set up repeater wards that auto-trigger when demons or angels breach a certain distance. Layered shields that can absorb multiple hits before breaking."
Morpheus finally spoke, his voice quiet but firm. "We also need to focus on Azrathos himself. He's the lynchpin. If he falls, their morale shatters its how demons work, they feed in a pack environment if he falls the demons wont take orders from angels. But we can't waste time trying to contain him like before. We need to isolate him early draw him into a prepared battlefield where he can't use his raw strength against us."
Vael nodded. "Agreed. We'll need volunteers to act as the lure."
Maximilius smirked. "You're looking at him."
A few of the wizards chuckled, but the moment passed quickly. The tension remained thick.
Morpheus turned back to the map, his clear eyes scanning the battlefield. "We also need to deal with the angels. They were the biggest problem in the air. If we can cripple their mobility, we control the sky."
Olivia flicked her wand, causing floating blue sigils to appear over key ridges of the canyon. "We can enchant these ledges with anti-flight hexes. They'll disrupt aerial movement within a radius, forcing them to fight on the ground where we have the advantage."
Marcus added, "And for the demons, we reinforce the canyon walls with transfigured spikes and collapsible tunnels. Force them into routes we control."
Vael exhaled, rubbing his temples. "It's a solid plan. We can't stop them from coming, but we can dictate the battlefield." He looked around the table. "We need every able fighter prepared. Morpheus, can you and the ward masters handle reinforcing the lower canyon?"
Morpheus looked contemplative, "It can be done."