Amdirlain's PoV - Southeast Himalayas

While Amdirlain worked on her army, Bai Hu and Zhūquè bound hundreds of demons, and the Vermillion Bird stripped Sarah and Klipyl of the relic's effects. Sarah hadn't bothered to revert, instead flying around to strafe the gathered demons and teased Jinfeng about being slow to take her share down.

When the last demons were bound or banished, Sarah landed near Amdirlain. She lowered herself to the ground and looped her neck around to eye the darkness of the gates surrounding Amdirlain. "Honey, I'm home."

"How is this home?"

"You're where my heart is," replied Sarah.

Amdirlain blushed to her ear tips. "I love you too, Sarah."

Sarah reached through the flames flickering along her skin to cup her cheek. "You're expanding your army still?"

"Third army," corrected Amdirlain. "First two have rolled out to approach the opposite sides of Hades's old domain. The first one should have eyes on the spot where Charon used to dock shortly. Let's go back to Bali so I can do some extra preparations. Once I've got everything rolling, we'll move onto the East Wind's Court."

Jinfeng returned down a cliff face in a blur and slipped beneath Sarah's wing. "I never believed I'd be this close to a Dragon and not fighting for my life, Sarah."

"You wouldn't make much of a snack, so don't worry," replied Sarah.

"Klipyl says you're only supposed to munch your wife," quipped Jinfeng.

Sarah snorted. The sharp gust of wind pushed Amdirlain's clothing tight against her. "Well, Am can ride me in this form."

"I'm sure that's not the only form she rides."

"Stop zinging retorts at each other if you're going to drag me into them," laughed Amdirlain. "Bai Hu and Zhūquè dragged me into their squabble. Please don't use me as your backboard for bouncing shots."

"It's because we all love you so much, Sifu. Why wouldn't we involve you?" Jinfeng asked, tucking her hand behind her back with a winsome smile.

Amdirlain and Sarah rolled their eyes at her, and Jinfeng laughed brightly.

Sarah transformed into her Human form clad in red leathers. "There aren't many demons left."

With a light mental touch on the group's shared link, Amdirlain projected the same plans she'd shared with Sarah and Zhūquè's accommodation offer. She teleported the jade pendants to those who needed them, since Kadaklan already had his own.

Jinfeng tucked hers away, without a glance at the engraving.

'I thought Kadaklan came from the South Wind's Court?' Jinfeng questioned across the link that Amdirlain maintained.

'I was a member, but didn't have a residence nearby. I prefer to avoid court formality and focus on healing,' Kadaklan explained. 'Not having a house there meant I didn't need to attend every court social occasion.'

Klipyl's amusement soared across the link, and she sent an image of Kadaklan and Amdirlain each hiding away from parties in their honour.

'Admittedly, that is pretty fair,' responded Amdirlain.

Kadaklan mentally snorted. 'You played the part on Qil Tris, which helped you progress your social skills. The direst challenge of being a social butterfly for weeks on end.'

'Let me know as soon as you've tended the last injury and I'll take us back to the cove. Then you can return to your honeymoon.'

With that, Amdirlain returned to creating more constructs, and played with additional capabilities.

She was nearly through the creation of the third army when the others wrapped up, and the group returned to sun-warmed white beaches.

Jinfeng shivered at the sudden shift from the mountain chill to the warmth. "Weird; the cold didn't hit me when I jumped there, but the move back felt like someone walked over my grave."

"It was the sudden air pressure shift. Your body reacted mostly to that," advised Amdirlain. "You were keyed up for a fight when I teleported you last night, so you blocked it out. Let me know if folks need anything; otherwise, I will push my project on."

"Nothing from me. I might visit the local sects and see if there is anything I can try my hand at," advised Jinfeng.

"There are some non-aquatic beasts about," said Kadaklan. "Shadow cats and the like need to be culled when their numbers grow too large. Those long in the tooth become man eaters if there isn't enough other prey."

"I've got my experiments and research to keep me busy. Enjoy your experience gains, sweetie," said Sarah, before leaning in for a lingering kiss. She caressed Amdirlain's face as she released her. "That incursion last night has your worries playing up."

"The more preparations I make, the easier the conflict inside Hades will be," said Amdirlain.

On the second day, Amdirlain released the eighth army closer to Hades's border than any previous army. Through the open gates her senses speared across a section of the boundary far away from those she'd checked before. Within its territorial limits, she caught souls within the failed domain—not those being punished—but those who'd followed Hades in life; linked to the domain, Epoche hadn't been able to remove them despite her seizure of Hades's Mantle. Their fear had been increasing with every day that the domain faded. She reached out songs to the deployed armies and adjusted their orders. After the last construct went through the gates, she closed them up and opened a set directly to Atonement. Within that Plane, millions of square kilometres of grey skyscrapers collapsed. In their place grew woodlands and green fields with winding paths, where those who had arrived on the Plane for reasons other than punishment could rest.

As the days went on, she had to exchange an increasing amount of energy with Sarah to maintain her hold on the Material Plane. However, even smoothed out, the flows caused her Allegiance Bond to climb rapidly under the pressure.

Over the next week, she continued building more armies and releasing them at different distances from Hades. Her goal of having them arrive simultaneously at the riverbank of Styx hit a few hiccups with pitched battles. When the reports came in—via a longer relay to prevent detection—she released additional forces at the rear of their foes. Pylons radiating energies obliterated ranks of minor devils and demons alike while providing extra fuel for her troops to pulverise their opponents.

As dawn approached on the ninth day since their return to the bay, Amdirlain relaxed to watch the sunrise. She sprawled out on the front porch with her head on Sarah's lap. "Let's move on today."

Sarah clasped her hands to her cheeks and looked down at Amdirlain in surprise. "What! You don't want to create another trillion troops?" asked Sarah. "You know that Hell alone can muster more forces and, once they find the approach to use, they'll shatter them."

"Yeah, I know. I'm kinda counting on it for phase four," replied Amdirlain. She put a hand to her cheek dramatically, putting on an act in case someone was observing. "Or am I? Maybe it's the next phase that needs them destroyed."

"How tight are you going to play your cards?"

"Very. After all, I don't know with absolute certainty that no one else is listening," said Amdirlain.

"I'll avoid questions," replied Sarah. "Playing Go in real-life is a lot harder than on a board."

"Yeah, I'm hoping my constructs combine unpleasant surprises. They've got some lessons I learnt from Gilorn and Lutu, along with some ideas for Mana handling that you cooked up," replied Amdirlain. "I'm just applying them differently."

The first ray of the light breaching the horizon drew a hiss of surprise from Sarah. "How hard did you push yesterday?"

Amdirlain winced out of reflex but caught it was shock rather than pain from Sarah. "I'm closing in on level three hundred in Empress Malfex and Songbird, only seven levels off between them. I have lowered a tier seven achievement to six, I'll put a hold on levelling more, at least until I push my Mana Mastery."

"Yeah, otherwise you'll need another achievement for your next Prestige Class. Which one did you downgrade?"

"Songbird's First Step. It happened during the last army I worked on overnight," said Amdirlain.

Sarah grunted. "Do you have enough troops now?"

Amdirlain lightly clasped her hand. "No, but I hope I have enough bait. The demons are blaming the devils and vice versa. My armies haven't hit Hades yet, and while word is already spreading among the generals of both sides, they're not taking me seriously. They think most troop losses are just from pathetic commanders making excuses. It's all too unbelievable."

"What are you going to do?"

"I've given the armies orders to punch them in the nose."

Once the group was up and about for the day, they packed up and stored the gear from their rooms to allow Sarah to absorb the house. Amdirlain moved them all to the location drawn from Kadaklan's mind. The view from the guest house balcony showcased the colorful city, with its brightly painted buildings, gardens, and temples. Their lofty, spiked roofs, layered in a golden sheen, stood out among the surrounding canopy of trees, while some homes almost blended in. The region's lack of metals caused the locals to resort to illusions to put the surface covering of the temples in place—a display driven by the memories of a long-ago home.

Amdirlain left the others to settle in and headed to a dining room on the building's side where Cyrus was reviewing texts. The building had decorative woodwork that formed a mesh that only partially obstructed the external views, allowing airflow through the silk drapes that blocked direct sunlight. Within the room was a long lacquered table flanked by chairs that wouldn't be out of place in a modern australian home. Polished wood, with a high back and arms rather than the low kneeling level supports offered in the East Wind's Court.

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"Sifu, how are you doing?" asked Amdirlain, offering a polite bow.

Cyrus rose to exchange bows. "I'm well, Am. Yourself?"

"I had a busy few weeks, but I'm doing well."

"I heard there was some excitement."

"Just a minor incident with a Demon that needed a smack." Amdirlain moved to a seat across the table.

Cyrus sat in time with her. "Weren't you going to limit what you involved yourself with?"

Amdirlain smiled sheepishly. "I'm damned if I do, doomed if I don't. I'm trying to render necessary aid as calmly as possible, since the plinth's judgement strikes when emotions are high."

"Doomed because you'd be not acting because of worry over the plinth?"

She nodded sharply. "I'd rather face damnation for helping people than be disgusted with myself for not, even without the threat of the plinth's punishment."

"Self-understanding should hopefully make it easier to deal with whatever pressure it places on you."

"I won't spend effort on it," said Amdirlain. "I need to be satisfied with my actions and choices. Me saving someone doesn't mean I'm responsible for all their future choices. It means I'm responsible for their opportunity to make better ones; whether they take them is up to them. They'd better keep one eye over their shoulder if they make evil ones. Let's move along, shall we?"

"What did you wish to talk about?"

"Zhūquè mentioned researching a technique for me. Has she shown it to you?"

Cyrus laid out a set of scrolls with the Vermillion Bird seal on the cap of their spindles. "She asked that I'd review it, to see if there were approaches that clearly wouldn't work for you."

"What are your thoughts?"

He picked out a scroll and passed it to her. "It builds off Enduring Flame and the Ki Flight technique you've been studying. The approach it uses to encapsulate Ki Movement and Ki Flight requires the same mindset towards energy common in all your techniques."

"I didn't expect any of them to be so helpful," said Amdirlain.

"The courts might have similarity with those cultivation stories you've told me about, but we're not competing for finite resources," said Cyrus.

"Other than time being limited to those with the most potential," said Amdirlain, and she flushed at the implications of her comment.

Cyrus smiled wryly. "Yes, that also applies to you, but the time we've dedicated to you has already repaid us many times."

"I also made more work for the healers in the West Wind's territory with all the baby healers to train," said Amdirlain lightly.

"They are training cadres of healers and guards with Universal Life. They now move between settlements instead of being a lone healer and apprentice," said Cyrus.

"Those guards get to try their healing in small but life-improving situations?"

"Yes, and whoever can learn enough will handle the introductory lessons for healers in years to come."

A rising tide lifts all boats. Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Set him on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. Sarah figured out how to burn the corruption. Can I do something else with the toxic sludge?

An idea itched at the back of her mind, and Amdirlain's hand lifted, but she tucked her hair back from her face instead of scratching at her scalp.

"You look thoughtful," noted Cyrus.

"I've got a few problems I've been trying to find a solution to," said Amdirlain.

"Anything in particular?"

"The corruption in the Abyss causes a distortion that I need to find a resolution for," explained Amdirlain. "I can't stop it occurring. I know where it comes from—the evil choices of sapient beings—but the accumulation worsens things."

"You're not taking on a responsibility that isn't yours?"

Amdirlain checked her concealments to ensure they were entirely in place. "I made the rules for souls in this realm, but I didn't consider waste. We'd skipped between realms in our travels, so I didn't see the long consequences of some systems I chose. While I can't change the rules around souls without risking flow-on effects, I need something to clean up the mess they make. There has to be a better way than just letting it flow to the lowest points it can."

"How does it differ from the black goop of Di Yu's demons?"

"The black goop of Di Yu demons isn't the corruption that seeps down to the Abyss to form those demons," stated Amdirlain. "Instead, it's fundamental Chaos, uncaring and potentially cruel, with no sense of right or wrong."

"Could abyssal demons be bound and develop souls?"

"No. The refinement from Chaos to Soul comes from the experience of emotions directing its evolution. When the refinement towards a Soul truly begins, it changes the nature of the Chaos, applying Order within. How the courts bind demons provides an initial framework for the Soul to grow from that Chaos. That's why they seem so mindles. Not because the binding makes them unable to act, but because their old memories don't align with the framework. In a way, the binding is a Demon's first reincarnation and they're a toddler not yet comprehending the world around them."

"If they die, that reincarnation is their last?"

"It's not yet refined enough to subsist on its own, but the Order can't go to Di Yu with the Chaos."

Cyrus sighed in understanding. "The Order is partly from the heavens."

"Yes, and without that structural integrity, the personality of the Demon becomes lost."

"What of those demons who seek an Immortal to bind them of their own accord?"

"There is some order within Di Yu, it has its laws and strictures after all, and those need structure. Among those, the negative emotions from their experiences in Di Yu take longer to cause their Chaos to develop. Their desires align pathways that leave them seeking more. They take a step in agreeing to be bound. In a way, it's a mini reincarnation and since they're already started towards a Soul; the binding is more like life support. Yet if you rip life support from someone who has their heart in another's hand, they're too weakened to live."

"You make use of gruesome examples," noted Cyrus.

Amdirlain shrugged. "I think I've come to an acceptance about many things."

"Such as?"

"Life is messy, but you improve by living. I'm a meddler and need to create and improve things. I'll always find something that I could have done better. It's not because there is something wrong with me or that I'm a failure, it's because life has lessons to teach. Only those that remain blind to this miss out on ways to improve. I find it liberating."

"In what way?"

"I'm not perfect, but I can learn. Though I'll never reach perfection, I'll keep seeking to improve myself. Just as I can accept that I'll never be perfect, I can accept that nothing else around me is."

Cyrus nodded approvingly.

Cerberus's PoV - Hades boundary

Charon's docks had been empty for years, but were now a continual battlefield. Something within the buildings where Charon's servants had sorted the souls had ignited last year, and the flames had eventually spread to every one of the self-repairing buildings. The odours of sundered or cooked demons and devils wafted up the pass to Cerberus's nostrils, the rancid, sulfuric stench itched like bugs biting inside his sinuses. His right head glanced back at the sealed stone door behind them, but their shattered link to Hades made it clear their master wouldn't be coming.

Motion beyond the river's edge drew his attention. All three heads snapped to scan the mountain range on the far side of the river where a few glints of light had shown. The thick smoke kept the far bank a hazy mess, but Cerberus persisted.

Pinpricks of red turned into light trails in the sky before he heard a chorus of bright, cheerful whistles ring out overhead. However, with the projectiles' tails pointing back towards where the movement had been, he kept his attention fixed on the distant shore. A thunderous explosion ripped across the sky, sending multicoloured flames drizzling across the docks. Like water poured across a mud-covered etching, the figures fighting in the smoke of the continually burning buildings became visible. Flares of light illuminated a crystal wall suddenly revealed on the mountain over the opposite side of the Styx. Radiant beams of sunlight pierced through the haze and thousands of silhouetted demons and devils evaporated. Another spray of whistling projectiles emerged, but instead of flames, their explosions released a deluge of energised liquid—it wasn't clean water or the memory-stealing liquid of the River Styx. The torrent washed the smoke from the sky and snuffed out the flames trying to consume everything around the docks.

More blasts from a strange multi-armed Colossus on the distant mountain's slopes blew through buildings and foes alike. Millions of tubular limbs spat beams and projectiles to rip apart the docks. Circular panels opened across the front of square blocks mounted on their shoulders, and screaming projectiles ripped apart everything, splattering demons and devils alike. The blighted Mana from their surroundings funnelled into the figures while purified Mana surged forth as brilliant attack spells from gleaming eyes. The massed troops continually pulsed attacks of entwined affinities to batter their opponents, but didn't move to close the distance. Flat crystal discs and flying spears zipped back and forth above that distant army, keeping flyers away as the slightest touch from their light distorting edges cost body parts.

With the attention of the demons and devils drawn outwards, new figures arrived closer to Cerberus.

Crystalline machines, knights, and archers blinked into existence at the bottom of the pass, cutting off Cerberus from the docks. Another Colossus that resembled a fully armoured knight appeared among them. This one carried a kite shield and a black sword around which the light distorted like the crystal discs' cutting edge. Just like the others, it did not emit a scent. It marched steadily away from the docks and up the pass towards Cerberus. The knight's long legs effortlessly ate the kilometres-long climb. The top of the Colossus's helm was a hundred metres tall, and stood even with the bottom of Cerberus's snout, giving scale to the approaching army.

The colossus stopped just as Cerberus was ready to lunge. A massive Red Dragon tail with its scales removed appeared before it. Cerberus growled suspiciously, not giving into the temptation to shift from his post, only for its enormous armoured foot to propel it forward to flop at Cerberus's feet.

"Be a good boy now." The Greek words perked up Cerberus's ears, and he whined in confusion. A burst of warm golden energy wafted from the Colossus's chest, carrying the scent of Kronos's blood-line; an odour that eased the itching in Cerberus's nostrils. "You hold the only path that this ruined domain allows beings to pass in both directions. Let no Demon or Devil pass. We'll protect your front and other armies will block the entrances."

"You not foes?" grunted Cerberus, each head wanting to have a word in.

"Be a good boy and she'll prepare a new home for you in a nicer place."

With those words, the Colossus turned around and returned to the base of the pass. There it set its sword and shield at the ready. With it in place, the massed colossi that had teleported to hold the approach projected their own translucent barrier of Spatial Mana. As the glow lit up the docks, the army across the river began to march forward, each pounding footstep carrying a mechanical precision. To the tempo of each step, more attacks lashed out at demons and devils, driving some against the anvil at the pass.

The Infernal and demonic magics they threw in return smashed against interlocking shields and arcane barriers yet few did more than cause a brief flare of light. A group of triangular wedges the size of a man's torso, with a leading edge that distorted the light, screamed across the sky, driving straight through flights of succubi throwing spells.

A dome of red sprung up among the dockside buildings. Within, hundreds of Infernal liches from dozens of races worked on a ritual magic. The wind and shockwaves of explosions set their tattered garments flapping, but they ignored it and the odd attack that struck at them with equal arrogance. The energy within the dome increased to a fever pitch, and at last spat the largest retort to the crystal army's attacks. A writhing beam of red Infernal energy lanced from their circle and cracked against the centre of one of the protective barriers stretched in front of the army approaching the river.

As it wormed and tore through the fracture, the energy spiralled into a figure with a concave mirror set into its chest. The rush of Mana caused it to grow blindingly bright. A massive flare had Cerberus expecting an explosion. Instead, the same figure replied with a beam of Primordial fire across the river front and through the grouped casters. A humanoid Demon Lord, the size of the colossi with serpents lashing out from his shoulders, teleported in on the right flank, his beaked maw clacking. As the fanged serpents broke some of the most diminutive figures, a mass of black fire rolled from his clawed hands to melt a group of the smaller crystal troops.

Cerberus whined unhappily, worried that no further treats would be forthcoming.

Before the spells stopped, he caught the melted crystals shifting. Empowered by the unleashed energy, their material ran together to form a fresh Colossus, double the height of the others. The Demon Lord fled back to Cerberus's side of the river, only for the new Colossus to lift its sword high, teleport behind the Demon Lord and cleave him in two. It dominated the landscape among the demons, yet it didn't attack again with its sword. Hundreds of bright gold eyes appeared across the new Colossus and spells erupted from each one, unleashing a rolling devastation across its foes. Hurriedly triggered siege weaponry flung energised boulders and ballistae bolts against the crystal giant, but the slight dents in its armour levelled back out, leaving it unblemished. Squeezed between the two forces with the largest Colossus among them, the demons and devils fled in both directions along the river.

With the immediate threat held at bay, Cerberus's nostrils had twitched repeatedly, but he held himself back. Finally, his right head lowered to sniff closely at the dripping flesh before he whined again; left grabbed it first, but they all tucked in.

A new home?

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