Eventually, the trio rejoined them. Samael now wore a bandage around the base of his head, drawing everyone's attention to the consequences of challenging Ratella.
"Today, we seek the deaths of Sloth and Lust. In their absence, peace will return. This land can once again prosper!" announced Sarian, assuming the role of commander.
His short speech drew cheers from the soldiers, their morale raised and their hunger for Devil blood heightened.
Their search began by slowly cutting down stray Devils who had lost control. These Devils, reduced to mindless creatures, sought only bloodshed. The bloodlust poisoning fills their minds in full effect.
They mainly stayed on the ground, not using their wings, to avoid attracting attention. If a full legion of Devils were to fall upon them, their forces would be reduced to ashes.
Liliana rested upon his shoulder, surveying the surrounding battlefield.
The atmosphere of the battlefield was stricken with the smell of rotting flesh and charred remains. Ratella was the only one who seemed put off by this smell, the soldiers growing accustomed to it after years of fighting on these very grounds.
Ratella crouched beside Sarian at the front of the unit, scanning the horizon to spot any encroaching threats before anyone else.
"If I find Sloth, I'll mount his head above my table. He dies, even if it's the last thing I do," Sarian muttered to himself.
Sarian was still affected by his father's death and the pressures Temperance brought into his life. His pride as an angel hinged upon Sloth's death.
"I'll take Lust. Sloth's yours," Ratella said, acting friendly in front of the grieving man.
Sarian said nothing to Ratella, only steeling his mind for the fight to come.
The unit eventually reached a large divide in the ground, separating the land into two; the divide stretched over a vast distance, leaving them with no option but to fly over it.
The other option was to spend days circling the great slash in the landscape. But that would risk drawing the eye of the surrounding Devils.
Until they could cross the divide, they would have to deal with the two Devils blocking their path. Their behaviour wasn't erratic or uncontrollable, making them a greater threat than the creatures infecting the land.
Standing in front of the crack in the earth, the two stood side by side, both wielding large mace weapons.
The unit assumed a defensive position, prepared for any attack looming in the darkness that shrouded the land.
Ratella and Sarian took similar positions. Sarian drew his bow, summoned an arrow of light, and knocked it to the bowstring.
Ratella dug his lance in the earth below, assuming an impartial stance toward the Devils. He doubted they were special; Liliana had not yet alerted him to anything he couldn't handle.
They set up a system a couple of hours earlier while waiting for the trio to return.
"Do you see that, brother, the twink thinks he'll be able to defeat us in battle!"
"How funny, my brother. We are the strongest of the Devils in this area; this pipsqueak can't possibly think he'll be able to defeat us."
"Excuse me, Devils. Where are the Sins?" asked Ratella, cupping his hands behind his back, emboldening his wings.
"Brother, this weird angel with six wings thinks he can order us around."
"Ha, I know how laughable. Even if we did know where the Sins were, we wouldn't tell this weirdo."
"We are the Bloody Barons of War, we have yet to be defeated by angel or devil kind. We stand supreme."
"Yes, brother. We are the strongest aspects of shadow, commander of a Devil legion; without us, this war would be hopeless for Faravos!"
The two brothers laughed with each other, their arrogance shining bright through each breath out of their mouths.
The brothers bore two pitch wings each. Their edges were sharpened, not by divinity, but by hand. This meticulous work left a scarred, once unblemished mess of wings.
"Help us find the Sins, or I'll have to slash you to ribbons—though I'd rather not," Ratella exclaimed, a wicked grin forming.
The devilish blood coursing through his veins leads to his sinister attitude at the promise of bloodshed.
Sarian looked unnerved by both the Bloody Barons and Ratella retreating slightly, standing close to the troops.
"Brother! This little boy thinks he can defeat us. I bet he won't be able to scratch our skin with that impractical weapon of his."
"You are absolutely correct, my brother! A lance of all things defeating us, that weapon should have been left in the realm of horses, not in a realm of war. Ha!"
"Ha, ha! Brother, you are quite the joker. Everyone knows a mace is the superior weapon to all others."
Excuse me, could you stop? One of you is about to be impaled by this lance—say your goodbyes.
Ratella brought his trusty weapon up for all to see, displaying its magnificence in the face of the two brothers. Its surface shines even in the darkness looming overhead.
Brother, I want that weapon. Inferior to a mace, but its beauty... I'll twist into the darkness and make it a herald to our people.
Ratella tilted his head upwards, his eyes twinkling with unbridled excitement at the bloodshed to come. His devilish bloodlust overcame his sense of reason.
Pure ecstasy raced into his mind at playing with his food; the thrill of speaking to the dead surged through him.
Liliana perched on his shoulder. Her eyes were full of worry about whether he could control his bloodlust and not slaughter everyone in the area.
"Squack!"
"It's okay, Liliana. I won't lose control of myself, I'm just having some fun, which I have been deprived of for some years."
Ratella had known only training and reading, with no chance to read many fantasy books or otherwise.
The most fun he had was getting pummeled by Luna in a duel, so he was practically starving for something to exhilarate his nerves, which had long since grown weary.
Liliana tilted her head in understanding at his promise of self-control, putting her trust in him. She couldn't care less for the Bloody Barons as she had never even heard of them, and she certainly didn't command them to intercept them.
"Ha! He's talking to a bird about self-control, how laughable!"
"How about we kill all these pesky angels and then we'll slit the bird's throat and roast it over a fire!"
The foolish brothers didn't know they had just threatened to eat a Horseman. As much as he wanted to, Ratella couldn't enlighten the brother on the errors of their ways.
"I'm surprised you want to eat it, brother. It's rather ugly, and its colour reminds me of HER, so I could never eat that thing."
"Oh, brother. Don't let your fear overcome your desire to eat your enemies."
The first brother patted the second on his back, lifting him out of his fears regarding Liliana's past actions involving them.
He didn't doubt that Liliana had once scared the duo into this level of terror when considering her more devilish side. The brother's foolish personality definitely wouldn't go well with Liliana.
Ratella started to laugh uncontrollably at the foolish man's suggestions.
His devilish nature was shining in full force to all present. The angel legion standing behind him all wore anxious looks at what was to come.
"You weaklings can't beat the bird on my shoulder, let alone roast it for dinner."
"This little boy doubts our power, brother. Let's show him what it means to be declared as the Bloody Barons of War."
"Mere aspects of shadow shouldn't have such a title. I'll be happy to demote you personally."
Ratella slowly walked toward the men. He gripped his lance tightly, ready to strike at any sudden movement.
"It seems the boy truly wants to challenge us to a battle," exclaimed the first brother, bringing his mace into an offensive position, ready to bring it down on Ratella's head.
Ratella stopped his incoming attack by thrusting his hand forward.
"If you were to choose which one of you deserves to live the most."
"We are equal, that's what it means to be brothers. We'll ingrain that message into your bloody corpse before we barbecue those pretty wings of yours. "
"What's with the need to eat everything you see?"
"Food brings us the most pleasure in this world; without it, we'd be depressed. Once we see something that awakens our hunger into action, we won't stop until it's in our belly," exclaimed the second brother, rubbing his belly, declaring his intent to eat Ratella's wings.
"I can't argue with that, but I believe watching the last breaths of Devils to be much more pleasurable," declared Ratella. He wasn't concerned with who he killed, but, sticking with the dutiful soldier, he chose to speak only of Devils.
Ratella licked the base of his lance, prompting the bloody brothers to step back warily as their dire situation finally sank in.
"Brother, we must crush this pest before he has any time to prepare."
The bloody barons nodded to each other and swiftly closed in on Ratella. They swung their maces at the base of his skull, but instead of hitting him, the weapons clashed. The impact bounced them backwards, causing both to lose their footing momentarily.
Ratella had amply evaded the blows. He positioned himself behind one of the brothers. The other brother's eyes went wide with surprise. Their surface now showed caution and a bubbling dread revolving Ratella.
Ratella tapped the brother on the shoulder, causing him to swiftly turn, rapidly swinging his mace in his direction. Ratella bent his back, collapsing downwards on himself, using his wings as support so as not falter.
With his lance, he forcibly thrust the weapon into the Devil's gut, skewing him upon it, and blood flooded down the weapon in waves, painting it scarlet.
"Not so confident now, are you, at the end of my inferior weapon?"
"Brother! No, we are Bloody Barons, we will not die by the hands of a filthy angel."