He appeared after a week-long siege against the Temple Fortress. It stretched the logistics and morale of the troops within, as fighting was done in shifts as wave upon wave of demons and hellions clashed against the towering walls of steel and iron. It was the first major engagement to be led by the Aurion daughters, though they had deployed with military operations before. The sheer mass and constant, infallible commitment of the demonic horde was something the Temple was not quite prepared for; ammunition was spared to snipers and mana shot threatened to melt the rifles of the wall guards; artillery was exhausted and armored vehicles were prepared for a last-ditch evacuation charge, if it came to that; the Ravens refused to cooperate, some even fleeing the fortress unauthorized. Some of them did not survive the attempt.
After so many days of constant harassment and firefighting, the reinforcements were summoned: Drigga made the call to Xenos Aurion and told him of the situation. He had teleported there before the call was ended, spell circles unfolding and powering up with the adrenaline-fueled fury Xenos would prefer when destroying the villainous demonic threat. Carnage would unfold as Xenos summoned forth the full capacity of him and his MechLegion.
The battle continued on for another day, and Xenos felt that hope had been lost. He ordered everyone to lock down the fortress and all personal assets, then they would evacuate en masse to the ringworld in orbit, nearing their (figurative) line of sight. People thought it was a joke until he went to the Temple to extract the Metal Artifact and its ethereal guardian. It took a few hours, and once everyone had locked down what they could in their frantic hustle, and amassed in the courtyard as one enormous collection of soldiers, mechanized infantry, towering mechs, the shrill howling of hovering transports and fighters, and the awesome brilliance magical warriors; the howling cacophony echoing from beyond the worn and torn walls of the fortress quelled to an uncomfortable silence. The magic was set, the seals in place, the mass teleportation which would threaten to destroy its master staved off only by the will of the Chosen Pink Rose, who commanded they wait until the demons were in sight. There they waited, and waited, any second now Xenos could see a big burnt-peachy hand claw its way over the wall. They stood with baited breath until, one by one, the magicals calmed their spells, the fighters landed (but armed), and caution was replaced with confusion. Scouts flew to inspect the surrounding area: all was clear, except for one demon lord waiting patiently at the great double doors of the West Wall.
The doors were opened, with every available weapon aimed towards the demon lord and Xenos standing before it. He announced himself in an exuberant and excited voice as Demon Lord XanZan, flanked by his wife who appeared, more or less, like a normal nude female with hard scales growing at random along her figure. He was new to the region, hailing from the stretch of desert in the northwestern part of the Fire Princedom, where many an Earth soldier were lost in the Wars of Technological Adaptation a decade before. The siege was his idea of a test, probing the Kingdom of Steelâs greatest names to see who could stand worthy of being his ally. Without ever introducing himself first. Nor checking to see if it were the right person. After all, any soul makes a fine addition to a Demon Lordâs Legion. Xenos Aurion made the top of his list, the name on every angry and spiteful forked tongue XanZan could gather, and rumor had it that he Legionized his military.
The idea of contracting a soldierâs soul into Xenosâ MechLegion is an optional checkbox for officers and enlisted, so in the case of an accidental death their soul would have an insurance of sorts, the MechLegion able to draft a replacement body. It also acts as a social security program, offering healthcare for those who had received a replacement body [or limb] or were damaged physically/mentally during their service. The specifics are tedious, and the program is not a guarantee of spiritual safety, but itâs much less expensive than full-coverage medical healthcare. Lord XanZan interpreted this concept, told much more bluntly as âXenos Aurion just owns all the soldiers,â and decided to attack his home.
Xenos humored him, quietly filled with a rage he could not adequately describe, a fiery anger which wanted more than life to shout, âNobody will terrorize my family, nor dare to destroy and defile my daughters and wife!â He offered Lord XanZan a counteroffer to joining the ranks of the beastly demon and his mistress, a more powerful ally than either of them. XanZanâs ego seemed sullied, the demon lordâs long smile turned to concerned scowl. He doubted this much, âNobody could possibly be more powerful than I! The will of one hundred lords is at my bidding!â Xenos said he would summon them right then and there for a personal duel, even including their Legions if he desired. XanZan flicked his one wrist at the notion, guffawing with obnoxious provocation, âPah! I will show this adversary the error of his gumption, bring him to me!â
Xenos led him several miles out into the barren and cratered badlands west of the Temple Fortress. A visible crowd had formed on and along the wall, ready to watch the unfolding action. XanZan was instructed to wait, as his opponent was sure to arrive soon. The bestial demon lord, crowned with cracked and split horns, adorned with gold and jewelry long worn from wear and heat, now unaccompanied by his small, scaled mistress, took to shouting at the skies, arm raised and looking for wherever this terrible demon may be hiding. While he did that, Xenos was running as fast as his legs could physically move, desperately trying to form a coherent sentence to order a Shivan Capital Dreadnought to drop the fattest, heaviest beam of death they had available onto Lord XanZan. The communication was clear enough, though the Shivan Command did not understand what Xenos meant by the âChallenged Basket outside, deep toot,â so they assumed destruction of the target he was running away from.
Within moments, a great crackling of thunder rippled through the sky, echoing off the mountains in the horizon and rolling over the migrating forests. A crimson beam or molten rock and plasma tore a straight line down from the heavens, disintegrating Demon Lord XanZan from the sheer force of the air burst concussion alone, his very soul Legionized and annihilated as all Shivan targets are [Shivans and Steel military kills are assumed into Xenosâ Legion, thus an emphasis on enlisted and officers signing into the program]. The beam seemed to stand, pulsating and digging into the ends of the planet, the low-pitched hum from the column of flame crackling the air until, finally, the charge was spent and the demon lord was no more.
