Ares and Heimdall moved swiftly down the road, their heavy footsteps barely making a sound in the eerie quiet that had settled over the area. In the distance, they could see the school, a crumbling structure near the military checkpoint where soldiers were securing the area, their faces pale and tense from the earlier demon attack.
"We're almost there," Ares muttered, glancing ahead. "But we'll need to scale the rooftops. If the soldiers see us, they'll likely think we're demons too. They're so rattled, they won't know the difference."
Heimdall's sharp eyes scanned the surrounding area, his gaze never lingering for too long on any one spot.
"It's been centuries since the humans last saw us.
They've forgotten what gods and demons look like." He glanced at Ares. "They won't be able to tell friend from foe."
Ares nodded, his brow furrowed.
"Exactly. They'll shoot first and ask questions later. And I'd rather not deal with mortal bullets slowing us down."
His voice carried a mix of irritation and amusement, as though the idea of humans even trying to harm them was absurd, but he respected the fact that they would try nonetheless.
As they approached the school, Ares spotted a narrow alley leading toward the back of the building. Without a word, he motioned for Heimdall to follow, and the two gods slipped into the shadows, moving swiftly and silently. The soldiers nearby were too preoccupied, securing the perimeter and checking on the few survivors huddled near the military vehicles, to notice the gods disappearing from sight.
Ares stopped at the base of the school building, looking up at the crumbling stone walls.
"We'll climb here. Once we're on the rooftops, we'll have a better view of the area." He placed his hand on the cracked surface, testing the structure.
"It should hold."
Heimdall nodded, already finding footholds and beginning to scale the wall.
"Lucifer's smart. He wouldn't leave an obvious trail. But if there's any trace of him here, we'll find it."
The two gods quickly ascended the building, their movements swift and precise. As they reached the top, Ares glanced back down at the checkpoint. The soldiers continued their work, oblivious to the gods now perched above them, watching from the rooftops like ancient sentinels.
Once on the roof, Heimdall crouched down, his sharp gaze scanning the horizon. "There's something wrong here," he said quietly. "The air is... tainted. Demonic energy lingers, but it's fading. We might be too late."
Ares clenched his fists, the anticipation of battle evident in his posture.
"We're not too late until we say we are. We'll find something. Lucifer's arrogance will be his downfall."
They began moving across the rooftops, Ares leading the way as Heimdall kept watch. The school grounds below were eerily quiet, save for the distant sounds of soldiers barking orders and the occasional crackle of a radio. Ares' eyes scanned the horizon, looking for anything out of place, any sign that Lucifer had left behind.
"This place feels dead," Heimdall muttered as they moved. "But there's a disturbance further ahead. Demonic energy, strong but fleeting."
Ares stopped, his eyes narrowing. "Then that's where we're headed. If Lucifer's left a trail, we'll follow it."
They continued onward, moving silently across the rooftops as they made their way toward the disturbance. Neither of them noticed the faint, shadowy figure lurking in the depths below, watching their every move from the darkness.
As Ares and Heimdall crouched on the rooftop, listening to the conversation of the soldiers below, the atmosphere grew tense.
"Hey, have you seen Fuji? He went into the school an hour ago, and I haven't seen him since."
"Nah, I haven't seen him since the briefing. He should know better than to go in without a crew."
Ares' keen ears picked up on the concern in their voices, but before he could comment, Heimdall's instincts kicked in. He spun around in a blur, his sword already out, slicing clean through the body of a creeping demon that had been just inches away from them. The demon let out a wet, guttural sound as it split in two, collapsing lifelessly.
"We're not alone," Heimdall muttered, eyes scanning the shadows. "That wasn't the only one."
No sooner had he spoken than three more demons emerged from the darkness, flanking them from the sides. With a vicious speed, they leapt onto the two gods, tackling them off the roof and sending them crashing through a skylight into the school below. The sound of shattering glass echoed through the courtyard, grabbing the attention of the soldiers outside.
"Did you hear that?"
"Yeah, something just broke inside. Call for backup."
The soldiers radioed in for reinforcements and cautiously began making their way to the front entrance of the school, their rifles at the ready, eyes wide with uncertainty.
Inside the school, Ares and Heimdall hit the ground hard, rolling to their feet just as the demons pounced again. Ares roared in fury, his war axe manifesting in his hand. With a single swing, he cleaved through the chest of one demon, sending black blood splattering across the cracked floor.
Heimdall, more precise in his movements, ducked under the claws of another demon and swiftly decapitated it with his blade. "These things are more aggressive than I expected," he said, wiping demon blood from his face.
Ares grinned, the thrill of battle coursing through his veins. "Good. It's been too long since I've had a real fight." He smashed the final demon into the ground with a heavy punch, its body crumpling under the force.
The two gods stood in the dimly lit hallway of the school, surrounded by broken glass and demon corpses. Dust hung in the air, and the faint sounds of footsteps echoed through the halls—no doubt the soldiers moving closer.
"We need to move fast," Heimdall said, his gaze sharp. "The soldiers will be here soon, and we can't let them interfere."
Ares nodded, but before they could continue deeper into the building, he paused, his eyes narrowing. "Something's wrong. This place feels... off."
Heimdall's brow furrowed, and his hand tightened on his sword. "Lucifer's presence lingers. It's faint but undeniable." He looked down the darkened hallway, sensing something more sinister. "We need to find Fuji and figure out what's happening here before the demons overwhelm this place."
They began to move, their footsteps. echoing through the empty school, knowing that something far more dangerous was waiting for them in the shadows.
Ares and Heimdall continued down the dimly lit corridors of the abandoned school, the air thick with tension. As they reached the hallway near the cafeteria doors, they both came to a sudden stop. The scene before them was somber—a large, radiant sword lay beside a broken, crumpled figure. The body of Gabriel, the Archangel, rested lifelessly on the cold tile floor.
His once-glorious wings were singed and torn, his armor cracked from the battle he'd fought. Despite the violence that had claimed him, there was still an ethereal glow around his fallen form, a sign of the power that had once coursed through him.
Ares and Heimdall stood silent for a moment, paying their respects to the fallen archangel. The weight of Gabriel's death struck them both—he had been a powerful figure, a symbol of divine strength and protection. For him to fall like this was a grim reminder of the gravity of the situation they were facing.
Ares clenched his fists, his war-hardened face softening slightly. "He deserved better than this," he muttered, kneeling down beside Gabriel's body. He gently placed a hand over the archangel's chest, closing his eyes as he summoned the power to send him back to the heavens.
With a whispered incantation, a soft light enveloped Gabriel's form, lifting his body into the air. Ares watched as Gabriel's body slowly disintegrated into shimmering particles of light, ascending upward until there was nothing left but his sword.