all, weaving through the battling figures in a rain of blood and feathers, Ishtar and Persephone drove themselves upward. Their two blades carved a path through the flesh of any Angels that got in their way.
They were half the way up when Ishtar screamed in pain. Zaros, a wiry, black-haired Angel had grabbed her and bitten her calf, his razor sharp teeth penetrating her armor, and blood spurted from his mouth as he ripped a chunk of muscle and skin from her leg. Ishtar twisted over in mid-flight and drove the heel of her free leg into his eye socket, exploding his eyeball. The flesh fell from his mouth as he spiraled down into darkness.
Persephone was ahead now, and Ishtar beat her wings frantically to catch up, leaving a shower of blood behind her. She had to spin to dodge two falling Angels locked together, hands on each other’s throats, swords in each other’s guts. From above, Hecate dove at Persephone, whip lashing out. Persephone dodged and struck with her blade as she went past, opening a gash in Hecate from throat to belly. Hecate roared and snapped her whip again, this time at Ishtar.
Ishtar dodged, but the whip connected, biting into her leg and lasering through the Achilles tendon with Hellfire. Ishtar snarled and cursed her luck. She flexed her mighty wings and flew faster, the primal urge to survive overcoming every other.
Around them, Lucifer’s Angels taunted Nyx’s Angels as they fought. Above them, Lucifer cleaved a pair of Angels in half with one stroke, sending bloody flesh raining on those below. Swords and whips lashed out all around, ripping open flesh to the bone, sending silver blood spurting through the air, tearing feathers and sinew from wings. Angels screamed and hacked at one another. None could die, not even the two headless corpses that fell past like rocks into the ring of fire below. All would be reborn in pain and suffering as their bodies knit themselves together or missing limbs re-grew.
Persephone didn’t slow her pace and Ishtar knew she would not—not with Nyx’s rule and life at stake. Ishtar beat her wings harder. Then five Angels, tangled together in battle, crashed into the pair of them. Their world was reduced to a whir of battering wings, darting blades, sharp teeth and claws, the sound of whips snapping through the air and ripping open flesh. Ishtar gutted the Angel in front of her, not caring if it was friend or foe, then felt a whip snake around her throat and pull tight. She spun her blade and rammed it backwards, feeling it slice into flesh. She ripped down and enjoyed the howl as the whip on her throat slid away.
Persephone, entangled with two Angels and too close to use her sword, bit one’s face off with a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth. The Angel screamed and jerked away, giving Persephone room to pierce the Angel’s throat with her talons, and rip it open. The other Angel also used its teeth, biting down on into Persephone’s side. She drove an elbow down onto the Angel’s face, dislocating its jaw with a single strike. The Angel growled and tried to grapple. Persephone brought up her heel and drove it into the Angel’s groin. The Angel let go and fell.
The fifth Angel attacked both Ishtar and Persephone, using both sword and whip. Two swords flashed, and both the Angel’s hands fell, leaving it staring at bloody stumps. The friends were side by side again, flying towards Lucifer above.
“How the fuck do we get past him?” Ishtar yelled.
“Carefully,” Persephone shouted back.
Ishtar grimaced but kept on flying.
A half-dozen more times their flight was interrupted. Persephone lost half a breast, and Ishtar took a whiplash that tore most of the feathers from one wing. Both endured a dozen other, minor cuts, and both of them fought Angel after Angel, sending their gutted, limbless bodies into the pit below.
Above, Lucifer engaged four Angels at once, cutting one’s wings off with his sword, tearing another open with his whip, and driving his
They were half the way up when Ishtar screamed in pain. Zaros, a wiry, black-haired Angel had grabbed her and bitten her calf, his razor sharp teeth penetrating her armor, and blood spurted from his mouth as he ripped a chunk of muscle and skin from her leg. Ishtar twisted over in mid-flight and drove the heel of her free leg into his eye socket, exploding his eyeball. The flesh fell from his mouth as he spiraled down into darkness.
Persephone was ahead now, and Ishtar beat her wings frantically to catch up, leaving a shower of blood behind her. She had to spin to dodge two falling Angels locked together, hands on each other’s throats, swords in each other’s guts. From above, Hecate dove at Persephone, whip lashing out. Persephone dodged and struck with her blade as she went past, opening a gash in Hecate from throat to belly. Hecate roared and snapped her whip again, this time at Ishtar.
Ishtar dodged, but the whip connected, biting into her leg and lasering through the Achilles tendon with Hellfire. Ishtar snarled and cursed her luck. She flexed her mighty wings and flew faster, the primal urge to survive overcoming every other.
Around them, Lucifer’s Angels taunted Nyx’s Angels as they fought. Above them, Lucifer cleaved a pair of Angels in half with one stroke, sending bloody flesh raining on those below. Swords and whips lashed out all around, ripping open flesh to the bone, sending silver blood spurting through the air, tearing feathers and sinew from wings. Angels screamed and hacked at one another. None could die, not even the two headless corpses that fell past like rocks into the ring of fire below. All would be reborn in pain and suffering as their bodies knit themselves together or missing limbs re-grew.
Persephone didn’t slow her pace and Ishtar knew she would not—not with Nyx’s rule and life at stake. Ishtar beat her wings harder. Then five Angels, tangled together in battle, crashed into the pair of them. Their world was reduced to a whir of battering wings, darting blades, sharp teeth and claws, the sound of whips snapping through the air and ripping open flesh. Ishtar gutted the Angel in front of her, not caring if it was friend or foe, then felt a whip snake around her throat and pull tight. She spun her blade and rammed it backwards, feeling it slice into flesh. She ripped down and enjoyed the howl as the whip on her throat slid away.
Persephone, entangled with two Angels and too close to use her sword, bit one’s face off with a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth. The Angel screamed and jerked away, giving Persephone room to pierce the Angel’s throat with her talons, and rip it open. The other Angel also used its teeth, biting down on into Persephone’s side. She drove an elbow down onto the Angel’s face, dislocating its jaw with a single strike. The Angel growled and tried to grapple. Persephone brought up her heel and drove it into the Angel’s groin. The Angel let go and fell.
The fifth Angel attacked both Ishtar and Persephone, using both sword and whip. Two swords flashed, and both the Angel’s hands fell, leaving it staring at bloody stumps. The friends were side by side again, flying towards Lucifer above.
“How the fuck do we get past him?” Ishtar yelled.
“Carefully,” Persephone shouted back.
Ishtar grimaced but kept on flying.
A half-dozen more times their flight was interrupted. Persephone lost half a breast, and Ishtar took a whiplash that tore most of the feathers from one wing. Both endured a dozen other, minor cuts, and both of them fought Angel after Angel, sending their gutted, limbless bodies into the pit below.
Above, Lucifer engaged four Angels at once, cutting one’s wings off with his sword, tearing another open with his whip, and driving his
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